Coven
by Loz95
Summary: Alex is stuck a small town she hates with outdated beliefs. She can't wait to get out, until a mysterious family shrouded by rumours move to Litchfield. In particularly, their eldest daughter Piper, who Alex can't seem to stay away from. Loosely based on Beautiful Creatures.
1. Piper Chapman

Alex huffed as she ran, feet pounding the floor in a harsh rhythm, sweat causing her black hair to stick to her forehead. It was still dark out, but she couldn't sleep, a run had always cleared her head. She could feel the growing pain in her ribs of a stitch, every breath of the chilly autumn morning air icing her lungs over. She knew she was pushing herself, but there was no other way to stop the worry in her head.

She preferred the pain of overworking her lungs to the pain of overworking her mind.

The only thing she allowed to run through her mind was the sights of her town around her as they blurred past. A movie theatre showing a movie that was at least 3 years old, more bookshops than people, and twice that amount in churches. As she ran past the marker of the huge stand-alone oak tree that alerted her she was halfway home, she paused briefly. The sun was beginning to rise over the hill in the distance, and she let her hand scrape the bark of wood as she had done every day since…

"No," she panted to herself, shaking her head and pushing herself to run faster through the cornfield, and before she had even realised it, around the corner of the tiny house she called home.

Closing the door behind her, Alex sighed as she filled her bottle with water from the sink, chugging it down and resting herself against the kitchen counter. Eyes closed, head back, she tried to even her breathing, feeling her heart steadily start to calm down as she relaxed. Breathing in slowly, then out again, she opened her eyes and wiped her forehead on a paper towel by the side before finding some bread and slotting it into the toaster.

Hopping onto the counter, she looked up as someone ghosted into the kitchen, and grinned as the light switch was flicked on, bathing the kitchen in light,

"Alex Vause, what on gods name are you doing down here? You gave me the fright of my damn life,"

Alex shrugged at Julie. As her father's best friend, she was like a second mother to Alex. smiling and swinging her legs as the toast popped up, she moved over to get the butter,

"I went for a run," she stated, as though running through town at 5am was the most normal thing a 17 year old girl could do.

Julie huffed as she watched Alex take a bite of her toast, frowning at her dishevelled state. She cared about that girl as though she was her own daughter, when her father passed away she swore she would keep her safe, but recently she knew something was troubling the young girl, something surely more than the first day of senior year.

"How are you feeling about school?" She asked, watching the brunette's reactions carefully.

Alex shrugged,

"Same old, same old. A new year, same people, only another school year till I can get the hell outta this town,"

"Amen to that," Julie chuckled,

Alex hopped down from the counter,

"I'm gonna take a shower," she muttered through her last bite of her toast, dipping a kiss on Julie's cheek as she made her way to the bathroom.

After her shower, Alex threw two more slices of bread into the toaster, putting books into her school bag, and checking her reflection in the toaster. Sighing, she adjusted her glasses and ran her hand through her dark hair,

"Mom?" She called as she buttered the toast, "mom?" She called again, knocking on the door of his office, "mom, I made you some breakfast!"

When no answer came, Alex let her head drop against the wood, food limp in her hand.

She hadn't seen her mother for longer than 10 second intervals ever since her dad died, and it just seemed to be getting worse and worse. She stayed, locked up in her office, away from everyone including her.

Turning to face Julie, she opened her mouth to say something when a car horn outside stopped her. Placing the untouched toast on the counter, Alex shook her head,

"That'll be Nicky," she muttered, and Julie placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Have a good day, you hear me?"

Alex nodded again, swallowing back a sudden rise of emotion in her throat, and left the house, a grin on her face at the sight of Nicky in her beaten up car,

"Hey slick, hop in," she called through her window, "senior fucking year!"

Sliding into the car next to her, Alex grinned as she grabbed the bottle of coke by the seat, taking a swig, she looked to Nicky as they pulled out of her driveway and down the street,

"So did you hear?" Nicky asked, tapping the ash of her cigarette out of the window as she turned to look at Alex,

"Hear what?"

Nicky's eyebrows raised in shock,

"We've got a new edition to the class," she grinned evilly, and Alex rolled her eyes,

"Another one of the Lord saviour preppies ready to make ' _good old Lichfield great again'?"_ She answered, putting on an exaggerated southern accent towards the end,

"Nah-uh," Nicky grinned, "one of old Ravenwood's family, she just moved here from Boston,"

Alex shook her head and frowned, leaning against the car window,

"Why would anyone wanna _move_ here?" She asked, and Nicky laughed,

"I dunno, but if she's as freaky as any of the other Ravenwood's, it could get exciting,"

Alex shook her head again as they moved into school, she couldn't have cared less about a new edition to their class if she tried. She was in Litchfield for one reason:

To graduate, then get as far away from it as she could.

Alex picked up her book as she sat in her seat in class, waiting for the teacher to arrive. She imagined herself as one of the characters, far away from this class and this town, having adventures with people less stuck in their religious ways and more open to the world around them.

She could hear Nicky in the seat next to her, leaning back to talk to one of the other girls in class, she couldn't remember her name, but she knew that that her best friend had hooked up with her a few times but they had kept it hidden. The people in Litchfield weren't the kind to accept the preferences she and Nicky held, but it didn't stop rumours from surfacing.

"Hey Alex,"

Alex closed her eyes at the familiar voice of Sylvie, lowering her book with a forced polite smile on her face,

"Hello, Sylvie,"

Sylvie smiled at her, clutching a book to her chest,

"Have you had a chance to think about what I asked you?" She whispered, and Alex smirked despite herself.

Sylvie was the town's biggest Jesus advocate, head cheerleader, top of the class, and had a boyfriend that everyone's mother would approve of, and yet it didn't stop her hooking up with Alex in secret for the best part of junior year. Alex was sworn to secrecy, if anybody found out about them, Sylvie would consider herself ruined, but who was Alex to tell, there wasn't any feelings involved from her end anyhow,

"Sylvie…" she began, but was interrupted once more by the small brunette in front of her,

"I did what you asked, I was a good girl. I gave you the summer, didn't speak to you even though I wanted to-"

"Sylvie!" Alex could her off, "I'm sorry but, nothing has changed, we can't do what we used to anymore,"

Sylvie raised her chin indignantly,

"Those books are banned," she muttered angrily, pointing to the copy of Steven King's _IT_ in Alex's hand, "they'll send you straight to hell,"

Alex smirked,

"So will hooking up with another girl behind the bike sheds every lunch time by your standards, but that's never stopped you before,"

Sylvie's eyes went wide as she looked around the room to check nobody heard. Nicky wasn't looking, but she was smirking so Alex knew she had heard, and without another word, stormed off to her seat.

Alex looked sideways at Nicky, grinning at the loopy motion she made with her finger, and looked up as her teacher began talking.

Five minutes into the start of semester speech, the door to the classroom creaked open, and the most intriguing girl Alex had ever seen entered.

Whispers followed the new occupant as she silently made her way through the classroom. Nicky nudged her elbow, trying to get her attention, but Alex wasn't listening, she was too busy taking in the new member of their class.

She was beautiful.

Shoulder length blonde hair, long legs clad in black jeans, and even though Alex couldn't see her eyes for the hair obscuring them, she was sure they were as startlingly breathtaking as the rest of her. She watched her the whole way, even when she took the seat right next to her and could probably feel alex's eyes stuck to her, she couldn't bring herself to look away.

A harsh kick to her shin beneath the desk forced her to look to her side and at her best friend, who mouthed,

" _Ravenwood,"_

Alex nodded, and looked back at the girl again as she began to take books out of her bag,

"Ah," the teacher announced, "we have a new student here as I forgot to mention, how nice of you to join us miss…"

Her voice raised in question at the end, but the blonde didn't answer,

"Ravenwood, isn't it?"

Sylvie's voice rang out from the back of the class, and Alex closed her eyes in frustration, tilting her head back,

"Red Ravenwood's niece, or so my momma has told me, you just mov-"

"Chapman, actually," the blonde spoke, and Alex's heart thumped at the sweet sound of her voice,

"Piper Chapman," she finished, raising her head to look at the front of the class.

 _Piper,_ Alex thought, _Piper Chapman_

"Well I know for a fact that's a lie," Sylvie started again, "you're Red Ravenwood's niece, one of those from the old manor on the skirts of town,"

Sylvie's group of girls nodded around her, making agreeing noises as Alex put her head in her hands,

"My momma says you're full of all kinds of unspeakables, witchcraft and such,"

Alex looked to Piper again, she was still staring forward, but was gripping her pencil with such force her knuckles had turned white,

"Your family are _evil,"_ she finished, and Piper finally turned to look at the back of the class,

"Oh no," she started quietly, looking Sylvie up and down, "you must have been the last in your litter,"

A chorus of shocked noises spread through the classroom as Sylvie's eyes widened but fell silent, and the teacher quickly turned the conversation back to schoolwork. As Piper turned back to the front of the class, her eyes briefly made contact with Alex's, and Alex felt her heart stop. They were blue, the brightest blue she had ever seen, and she felt the strange notion that she never ever wanted to look away, but as quickly as it happened, Piped turned her attention back to the front, away from Alex's gaze.

The rest of the students returned their attention to the teacher, but Alex's eyes stayed fixed on Piper in awe, a smile across her face,

 _Piper,_ she thought again, _Piper Chapman._

 **AN: Hi guys! Had this story on my mind for a while, obviously a lot of the plot for now doesn't belong to me, and if you haven't read the Beautiful Creatures book yet, you really should because they're fantastic. I wanted to put a Piper/Alex twist on it, so obviously the difficulties of their relationship in the kind of place this is set will cause a different kind of plot to that of the original story. I've got plenty of this already written if people are interested, and some chapters will be M later on, but I wanted to write a story that wasn't so heavily centred around smut and included it as part of a bigger plot line and story. More of the OITNB characters will be involved as it progresses. For now though, please let me know what you think!**

 **Laura :)**


	2. That Must Be Nice

Alex whistled to herself as she swung the car keys around her finger, kicking her locker shut and making her way to the exit of the school.

It was a Friday, and Nicky was going away this weekend with her family, meaning Alex got the car all to herself for a few days. As she reached the door she groaned, noticing the bouncing rain on the ground. It was raining hard, so hard that the drops hurt where they hit the skin,

"Fuck," she muttered, raising her schoolbooks over her head to shield her. Litchfield was famous for it's unexpected outbursts of torrential rain, and already Alex could see water gathering over the roads. Diving into the car, she pulled out of the parking lot, eyes squinting against the rain as it lashed across her windscreen.

On the drive she began to let her mind wander, and as it had been doing all week, it found itself wondering about a certain blonde that was still as mysterious to her now as she was 5 days ago.

For as long as Alex could remember, she had been plagued with dreams of a girl she could not get to. The same dream, every night. It's mainly the reason she began running at 5am; it's the only way to keep the dreams away. Piper bore a striking resemblance to the girl in her thoughts, and Alex wasn't sure what to make of it.

She hadn't spoken to Piper, not once. They shared glances, or more accurately Piper caught Alex staring at her more than a healthy amount, but Alex couldn't find herself to work up the courage to speak to her; something she wasn't used to feeling.

There was just something about this girl. An aura. A sense of mystery that Alex desperately, desperately wanted to solve.

She'd observed her all week, noticed how she sits on the skirts of school grounds at lunch, near the cluster of trees. She'd noticed how interested she was in literature from the intense attention she pays to that class, and it was something asked was trying to bring herself to use as a common ground.

She had the perfect chance today, when Piper dropped her pencil and it rolled towards Alex's desk. She should have picked it up, used it to start conversation, then talk to her about the Charles Bukowski book she had resting on her desk, worn out and well read. She had the whole situation in her head, she would play it cool as always, and develop a base to start with Piper Chapman.

But that wasn't what happened. Instead, Alex bent down to get the pencil, placing it on Piper's desk. She looked her in the eyes, ready to start her conversation plan, and froze up. Those blue eyes got her so mixed up she wasn't even sure where she was anymore, and the only thing she could strangle from her lips was a quiet,

"I believe this is yours,"

Alex slapped her hand on her head, keeping one hand on the steering wheel,

 _You fucking idiot._

As soon as the words left her mouth Alex closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and prayed for the end of class to happen quickly.

Shaking her head, she wiped at the fog on the windscreen with one hand, still squinting against the rain, just as a flash of lightening illuminated the sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder.

Alex leaned forwards, peering up at the sky. She was used to this weather, but that didn't mean she wouldn't rather be home and safe.

As she looked back to the road again, her heart stopped at seeing something directly in her path,

"What the _fuck,"_ she shouted, slamming on the break and turning the car to try and avoid the block in the road. The tyres squealed harshly against the floor, and the car skidded to a stop as Alex was thrown forward in her seat.

Wiping the window again to see what she had nearly collided with, her eyes widened at who was in the middle of the road.

Piper Chapman.

Alex stopped the engine and opened the door, slamming it shut she shouted over the rain,

"What are you doing in the middle of the damn road?"

Piper frowned at her like the answer was obvious,

"My car broke down, genius," she shouted back, pointing behind her to an expensive looking blue car pulled up to the side of the road,

"Don't you have a cell or something? Why would you just stand in the road during this kind of weather? Are you crazy!?"

Piper raised her hands in surrender,

"My phone is dead, I saw you coming from miles away. I obviously need your help but don't worry about it jackass, I'll find someone else,"

Alex grinned despite herself, this was not how she anticipated their first conversation to turn out.

Piper saw her smirk and groaned in frustration, turning around to storm back to her car, and a feeling of unease ran through Alex,

"Hey!," she called over the rain, "hey Piper, wait!"

Piper turned around, but didn't come any closer,

"Get in the damn car Piper, you're gunna drown both of us if we stay out here,"

Piper narrowed her eyes but didn't move. The rain was making Alex's vision blurry where it landed on her glasses, and she pushed them to rest on her head,

"Im not getting in that car until you have, so it looks like we're both gunna die out here,"

Piper didn't budge, but Alex saw the spark of interest light up in her eyes at Alex's threat, and she found herself rambling, trying to keep that spark lit,

"if we both get in my car we'll be dry and safe, it'll be like titanic you know? Jack didn't have to die in the end! You float on the wooden thingy for ten minutes, I float on the wooden thingy for ten minutes, it could have worked out!"

Alex stood for a minute or so panting after her rambles, hair plastered to her face and clothes soaked through, when finally Piper made a move towards the car. As she walked to the back of the car and opened the door, Alex caught a small smile on her face,

"You ruined the ending for me," she muttered, sounding playful, and Alex grinned to herself as she watched the blonde climb into the car, getting in the drivers side, she threw a towel to the back seat and set off down the road towards the edge of town turn-off.

As they drove, Alex kept stealing glances at Piper in the mirror. She watched how she rustled her blonde hair dry, the way she ran her fingers through it and flipped it out of her eyes, a few times she had to remind herself to pay attention to the road.

"So you've never seen Titanic?" She asked, wanting to continue conversation,

"Nope, never got around to it," Piper muttered, meeting her eyes in the mirror. Alex raised her brows and pursed her lips,

"You never seen it at like a sleepover or something?" She questioned, and Piper looked away and out of the window,

"No," she said after a pause, "I never had sleepovers, I move a lot. I've lived in almost every state that seceded from the union,"

Alex blew a low whistle out in appreciation,

"That must be nice," she said lowly, "I've only ever lived in one,"

"That must be nice," Piper echoed, and Alex met her eyes in the mirror again for a moment before she frowned and looked back to the road.

As she took the turn that would take her up the long road to Ravenwood Manor, Alex noticed Piper inspecting her belongings for water damage, pulling out a book and looking relieved when it was in good condition,

"Bukowski? He any good?"

Piper looked up and met her eyes again, interest in literature shining through,

"Define good?"

Alex grinned and shook her head, her heart thumping wildly at the small smile Piper gave in return.

"Don't worry about Sylvie and those girls in class by the way, I've heard they've been giving you a hard time,"

Piper huffed and nodded,

"Self righteous bitches,"

Alex chuckled,

"Girls who were once human but for whom absolute popularity has corrupted absolutely,"

Piper raised a brow, half smiling again,

"That sounds clever, but I bet you're dating one of them,"

Alex frowned and met her eyes in the mirror, how did she know Alex liked girls? Maybe she was just giving off more signals than she thought,

"I'm not dating anyone right now,"

Both fell silent as Alex pulled up to the gates of Ravenwood Manor,

"Thank you for the ride, Alex"

Alex turned to look at her, smiling softly,

"Don't mention it,"

Piper nodded slightly, climbing out of the car with her bag. Alex watched as she walked, keeping the lights on so she could see her path, and was about to pull out of the drive when Piper called to her,

"You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense, that's the book I was reading,"

Alex grinned and nodded as Piper turned back towards her manor, pulling out of the drive she started to think to herself that maybe, just maybe, soon she would get to solve a little bit of the mystery that was Piper Chapman.


	3. Shiny Black Shoes

" _Hello?"_

 _Alex called out into the darkness, flashes of lightning occasionally illuminating the forest in front of her. She could hear someone, walking in front of her, but she just couldn't make out a figure in the distance,_

" _Who's there?"_

 _She called out again as she walked forwards, stopping dead when a figure emerged from behind one of the oak trees. It was her, the woman that plagued all of her dreams._

 _She was in white, hair covering the better part of her face, turned towards Alex, reaching her arm out in a silent plea for Alex to get to her. As she reached out, the ground around them began to shake, splits cracking in the wet mud and separating. Alex ran, pushing herself as fast as she could with her hands raised,_

" _Wait!," she shouted, "I've got you!"_

 _She ran and ran but no matter how hard she tried, the girl just seemed to get further and further away. The cracks behind her caught up with her, and before she knew it she was falling, Piper's name screaming out from her lips._

* * *

Alex woke with a start, sweat ringing out the white shirt she wore for bed, hair stuck to her face. Her throat hurt, as though she had been shouting, but since Julie hadn't come running in, she couldn't be sure if any words had left her lips.

She raised her hand to wipe her forehead, breathing raggedly. She tried to remember the face of the girl in her dream, but as always, the fine details began to slip through her fingers, unable to grasp what had just woken her up. All she could remember what that she had awoken from screaming Piper's name in her sleep, and whilst the dream was familiar to her, she had never shouted a name until today.

After her run, Alex jumped into Nicky's car slightly earlier than usual so she could pick her friend up from her place. Pulling up to the house, she could hear the unmistakable drawl of Nicky's cousin Tiffany, and she hopped out of the car to get a closer look.

Once at the window, she smirked to herself at what she saw. There was Nicky, kneeling by the fireplace, facing the window with her eyes closed, hands held in front of her in prayer as her cousin faced away from Alex, hands risen above her,

"And we thank you lord for your good will, pray for your protection from the dark times facing Litchfield…"

Nicky opened her eyes at these words, but Tiffany must have had hers closed, for she didn't chastise her for it. As Nicky opened her eyes, she caught Alex's gaze from the window, grinning at her friend as she made a face. Alex chuckled, slightly louder than what was safe, and Tiffany whirled around to face her,

"Vause, you better get out of here before I tell your Auntie about you sneaking in flowerbeds!"

Alex laughed louder and ducked, heading back for the car just as Nicky ran out of the house, Tiffany's voice ringing behind her. They hopped into the car at the same time, Nicky shaking her head as they laughed,

"That girl is batshit crazy, if she wasn't the only reason I had a roof over my head I would have told her where to stick her Jesus talk months ago,"

Alex nodded her head, chuckling again, falling into easy conversation with her friend about her weekend until she pulled into the parking lot at school.

Walking into class, she clutched the Bukowski book Piper had recommended in her hand, smiling at her as she sat down, catching a small glint of interest in her eyes at Alex's attention.

She opened her mouth to whisper to the blonde, but just as she did, the teacher walked into class, calling them all to attention. She held a book up to everyone,

"To Kill A Mockingbird…"

"That books banned," Sylvie's voice rang out from the back of the class, just like last week, and Alex shut her eyes against the irritating noise,

"I know, I know. I got special permission from the education board to allow a module to be taught on it, if there are any objections-"

"My momma wouldn't want me reading a book like that, Miss Keppurna, in fact, my momma isn't okay with a lot of things in this class right now…"

Sylvie paused dramatically, and the room fell eerily silent. Alex cast a sideways glance at Piper, knowing exactly what Sylvie was about to say. The blonde didn't look at her, but her knuckles were once again white around her pencil,

"She doesn't want me in school with anyone to do with the Ravenwood's. They're wicked, and evil. Witches, my momma says,"

"Shut up, Sylvie," Alex warned, noticing how Piper's other hand was now gripping the sides of the desk, and her eyes had closed,

"They cast dark magic, bring danger to our town," Sylvie continued, unfazed by Alex's warning, "we should pray for them to be banished as far from Litchfield as possible,"

"Sylvie, shut _up,"_ Alex warned again, but it was useless, for Sylvie joined hands with some of the girls in her group of followers, the beginnings of the Lord's Prayer falling from her lips,

"Sylvia you can't pray in here," Miss Keppurna started, but Sylvie got louder, voice ringing around the room with the others that were joining her, and Alex stared at Piper, wishing for her to catch her eye, but before she knew it, Piper unclasped her hands on her desk, and the windows across the left wall shattered, screams erupting as glass poured down onto the students and the floor.

Alex swore as she covered her head with both hands, resting her forehead against the wood of her desk and shutting her eyes. She heard the glass fall around them, shouts of pain from other members of her class, and looked up once the debris had cleared.

Her classroom had delved into chaos, students were littered across the room with cuts to their skin, covered in dust, and Sylvie's cries could be heard from the back of the class,

"Witch! Didn't I tell you! She did that!"

Alex looked to her left to see Nicky, sat by her desk relatively unscathed, but staring wide-eyed at Piper, and when Alex turned to stare at her too, she found the blonde in the exact same position as she was before. Facing forward, calm expression, and despite making no move to cover herself, she had avoided any cuts to her skin,

"Hey, are you okay?" Alex asked quietly, ignoring the sting of a particularly deep cut to her right hand.

Piper looked to her, and Alex could see tears swimming in her blue eyes, a contrast to her relatively calm demeanour, and without a word, collected her bags and left the room.

Alex looked to Nicky again as the teacher attempted to calm everyone down. Nicky was staring right back at her,

"That had to be a coincidence, right?" She asked, and Alex ran a hand through her hair,

"It _had_ to be, witches aren't real. Only people that believe that are the Jesus freaks,"

Nicky nodded and pursed her lips, brushing herself off,

"Then what the fuck was that?"

Alex shrugged, inspecting the cut to her hand,

"I don't know man," she took a bandage offered to her by one of her classmates, "but I need to find out, can I take your car?"

"Yeah sure, just drop it off at my place after,"

Alex nodded, wrapping the bandage around her injured hand and collecting her bag from the floor, she jogged out of the room, car keys jingling in her hands.

* * *

Getting into the car, Alex threw her bag in the back seat when a gleam of metal caught her eye. Frowning, she leaned into the car, crawling in and reaching for the source of the light. Sitting up, she closed her fist around cold metal in a circular shape. She brought it to her face, inspecting it.

It was a locket, with the letters P.E.C carved into the front, followed by 07/06. Alex frowned, assuming the locket must have been left behind when Piper was in the car last. Pocketing it, she raced around to the drivers side and pulled out of the lot, with no clue what she was going to say when she arrived at Ravenwood Manor, but knowing that she had to get there, no matter what.

Alex pulled up in the car at the large iron gates, getting out and checking once again she had the locket in the pocket of her jeans. She rested a hand on the iron, peering through the gaps to get a glimpse of Piper, but all she could see was dense woodland, and the glimmer of sun on the top floor of the manor. She huffed, running her hand through her hair and grasping it atop her head, she looked from left to right, searching for a way to get in.

Just as she was about to backtrack and find another entrance, the gates creaked and swung open, allowing Alex entrance.

She stood for a second, eyes wide and heart thumping, almost giving into the urge to turn around, go home, and forget that Piper Chapman even existed. But then she thought of her face, the tears in her eyes at the bullying off Sylvie, and her heart banged painfully; she needed to make sure she was okay.

So she started walking towards the ominous mansion, adrenaline flooding her system. The light shone in broken sections, cut up by the twisting forest on either side of the pathway. Alex stuffed her hands into her jacket pocket as she reached the front door. For a second, she deliberated, swinging on her heels and looking around before taking a deep breath and grasping the large knocker with one hand, banging it three times against the wood.

She waited, nervous for an encounter with not only Piper, but one of the Ravenwood's. She didn't believe the rumours about them, but there was no denying they were creepy, all holed up in a house far away from everyone. Alex shuddered involuntarily, about to knock again when, much like the gate, the door swung open.

She stood to see who had let her in,

"Hello?" She called as she peered her head in,

"Ms Ravenwood? Piper? It's Alex,"

She got no answer, so Alex tentatively stepped into the doorway, eyes widening at the lavish decoration in the entryway. The house was surprisingly modern on the inside, with a twisting staircase made of glass, and a black grand piano below. Various exotic plants were placed around the room, the walls adorned with paintings and photographs,

"Hello?" Alex called again, twisting on the spot and back to the front door. She froze as her eyes landed on the doorframe. There, at the gap between the bottom of the door and floor, was a pair of shiny black shoes.

There was someone behind the door.

Alex opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing would come out. Suddenly, she was overcome with the intense desire to leave, as though her body no longer belonged to her anymore. Without even meaning to, her legs began to move, and she almost ran out of the house towards the field surrounding it. It wasn't until she was a good 200 meters from the house until her head cleared and her body felt like hers again. She shook her head, a shiver running through her.

A thousand questions ran through her mind about what exactly just happened, but they all melted away when her eyes landed on a familiar blonde sitting in the grass of the field. A picnic blanket was below her, and a book open on her lap. The sun made her hair appear golden, almost metallic, and Alex walked towards her, this time her legs and mind working perfectly in sync.

She climbed the wall separating them, hopping onto the grass. Shyly, she approached Piper, hands once again in her jacket pockets. She slowed to a halt in front of her, waiting for the blonde to acknowledge her presence. When she made no move, Alex slowly lowered herself to the ground, crossing her long legs and rubbing her palms on her knees,

"Hey," she breathed out, and Piper finally looked up, eyes meeting hers curiously. There was a cold look in those blue eyes that Alex didn't like once bit, and it caused her to shiver.

 **AN: hi guys! Split the chapter here 'cause it was getting waaaaaay too long, so it's a double update tonight. The story is starting to take shape a little more now, or at least I hope so, and within the next 2/3 chapters we'll start getting some from Piper's P.O.V so we can see what's going on with her family away from the public eye too. Let me know what you think!**

 **Laura :)**


	4. You're Old Enough For A Little Dark

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked, voice harsh,

"I came to see if you were okay," Alex whispered, and Piper looked away again. After a moment, Alex continued,

"I can't believe they're blaming you for the window smashing, there's no way it was your fault, you were sitting right by me the whole time-" She rambled, and Piper whirled her head around again,

"Is that what you're here for? To find out information and relay it back to your little friends? Popular Alex, the one all the guys and girls wanna date, wanna be friends with. Is it a joke to you, huh? Befriend the freak then go back to your soccer games and laugh about me with the jocks and the cheerleaders?"

Alex stared at her incredulously, frowning,

"Is that really what you think I'm like?" She asked softly, the hurt in her voice evident.

Piper stared back at her, and Alex saw the ice in her eyes melt slightly,

"No… No I don't,"

Alex breathed out,

"Well okay then…" she said, stretching her legs out so they were at either side of Piper, resting back on her elbows,

"And it's basketball, by the way,"

"What?" Piper asked her, eyes moving from where they were fixed at Alex's legs to meet her eyes,

"You said I would go back to my soccer games, but I play basketball," Alex grinned softly, and her heart lit up at the small chuckle she evoked from Piper's lips,

"Right…" the blonde whispered, smiling.

Alex smiled back as she watched the blonde, tilting her head to the side. A blush spread across her face under Alex's gaze, and she tucked some hair behind her ear, a gesture that made Alex's heart thump wildly.

The blonde's eyes moved from Alex's face down to her bandaged hand, smile disappearing instantly,

"Was that from the window smashing?" She asked quietly, and Alex looked down to her hand,

"Huh? Oh yeah," she raised it and then dropped it to her side again, "it ain't too bad though, just stings a little,"

Piper moved the book from her lap and shuffled closer to Alex,

"Let me see?" She asked, and Alex gave her her hand. As soon as Piper's fingers touched her wrist, Alex felt an electric bolt run through her that caused her insides to lurch. Piper looked up and into her green eyes, her face unchanged but eyes betraying the truth; she had felt it too.

Slowly, Piper unwrapped the bandages from Alex's hand, wincing at the cut underneath. Alex tensed, sitting up and putting her other hand over Piper's,

"I'm okay," she whispered, meeting her eyes. Piper pursed her lips but nodded, sliding her hand out from under Alex's and allowing her to wrap the bandage around it once more.

Alex smiled as she looked at the book in Piper's hands,

"To Kill A Mockingbird?" She asked, smiling, and Piper chuckled,

"Complete coincidence, I was already halfway through it when she announced we were going to be studying it in class,"

Alex laughed softly and nodded,

"I got a chance to read that Bukowski book you suggested,"

Piper's eyes lit up as she met Alex's,

"Oh yeah? What did you think of it?"

Alex grinned,

"I rehearsed a quote to impress you with over and over again, but now that I'm actually here, I don't have a clue what it was,"

She couldn't stop smiling, and when Piper giggled again she just felt the smile get wider,

"I'm sure I would have been very impressed,"

Alex laughed too as she felt her insides turn to mush at Piper's smile,

"You would have been," she confirmed, and the blonde shook her head as she closed her book.

She took a deep breath as she levelled her gaze with Alex's again,

"Be honest with me, Alex… Why are you really here?"

Alex shrugged,

"I was honest before. I told you, I wanted to make sure you were okay,"

Piper bit her lip as she surveyed the brunette, indecision clouding her blue eyes,

"Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Alex whispered, and Piper looked away for a second, lip still caught between her teeth.

Alex found herself staring at her mouth for a second, involuntarily wishing that she was the lip trapped between Piper's teeth, when the blonde's voice ripped her out of her illicit thoughts,

"I don't have many friends, certainly none of _your_ kind,"

Alex raised her eyebrows,

" _My kind?,"_ she repeated incredulously, "I thought we already agreed that I'm not like those others back at school,"

Piper huffed a laugh and shook her head, avoiding Alex's eyes,

"Hey," Alex whispered, catching one of Piper's hands in her own and feeling the crack of electricity again, "you can't complain about having no friends then make a girl work this hard trying to be one,"

Piper stared for a second, eyes searching Alex's face, then softened once more, smiling,

"I'm sorry," she squeezed Alex's hand back, "I'm just not used to having somebody care,"

Alex smiled softly,

"Well get used to it."

Piper smiled, holding her gaze. Alex got lost in those blue eyes for what felt like forever, until she was pulled back into reality by the loss of Piper's warm hand as the blonde began to get up from the floor,

"I should get back inside," she whispered as she stood, "Red doesn't like me out of the house once it starts to get dark,"

Alex stood but frowned,

"You're 17, you're old enough for a little bit of darkness," then she looked at Piper suspiciously, "or is that just the line you use when you want someone to leave,"

Piper giggled again, gifting Alex with the lovely sound, and held her gaze as they began to walk back to the house,

"Trust me, for once I would love it if you didn't have to leave,"

Alex smiled back, heart warming at the statement. Reaching the wall, she lent down on her knees and cupped her hand to give Piper a platform to climb up,

"Such a gentleman," Piper teased, and Alex laughed as the blonde climbed the step she had made and hopped the wall, climbing over herself and landing next to her on the gravel.

Slowly, they began to walk towards the door of the house when a thought struck Alex,

"Oh! I almost forgot, I have something for you,"

Piper frowned as she watched Alex pat her pockets,

"For me?," she clarified, and Alex grinned as she lifted the locket into sight,

"I found it in the back of the car, I figured you must have left it there,"

Piper leaned in to look at the metal,

"I don't recognise it, I don't think I left it behind,"

"Oh," Alex said dumbly, momentarily embarrassed, "well its engraved with P.E.C, and the date 07/06,"

Piper froze at her words,

"What?" She asked the blonde, eying her warily,

"Nothing, just… that's my initials, and my birthday, that's when I'll turn 18"

"Oh!" Alex said again, surprise colouring her tone, "well… that is too much of a coincidence to let slide, so I'll give you this anyway… call it a good luck charm,"

Piper smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, slowly, she reached forward to touch the locket in Alex's palm, and as soon as their skin touched the metal together, a gasp left Alex's throat as the scene before her changed.

She could no longer see Piper, instead a battleground was before her. The uniforms worn by the soldiers looked old fashioned, and Alex realised she was standing amidst a battle during the Civil War. Bodies lay across the ground, and a woman was screaming in the distance,

"Alex! Alex!"

Alex whirled around to the source of the voice. A woman, almost identical to Piper, was screaming her name. She opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Instead, a deep voice from just behind her shouted back,

"Penelope!"

Alex turned again to the deep voice, a male with dark hair and bright green eyes was reaching forward, falling to his knees, a knife through his chest.

The woman, Penelope, started to run towards the man, screams echoing around the field, she ran straight through Alex, confirming her suspicions that she could not be seen, and just as she reached the man, Alex's vision went black, and when she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in a field, but in her own bed.

Alex breathed shallowly as she sat up, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and morning light illuminated her bedroom. Her heart was beating wildly, and she pushed her hair from her face, closing her eyes and trying to remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was presenting Piper with the locket, and then what must have been a dream about the Civil War, but how did she get from Piper's place to her own bed?

Diving out of bed, she ran down the stairs to the kitchen,

"Julie?" She shouted, "Julie!?"

Reaching the kitchen, Alex stopped in the doorway as Julie turned around, eggs frying in the pan in her hands,

"Oh you're awake huh? It's about time, you're sleeping your Saturday away girl, I was just about-"

"Julie! How did I get here?" Alex shouted again, frustration breaking through her patience,

"Why are you shouting?" The older woman asked, and Alex took a deep breath,

"Im sorry, I just- how did I get home last night?"

Julie looked at her like she had grown a second head,

"You walked, said you'd been with Nicky all night, dropped the car off there and came straight home and up to bed," she said slowly, "why?"

Alex looked at her blankly, knowing that she had been with Piper that night and not Nicky,

"Nothing, its fine," she lied, sitting at the table, "I just felt a bit muddled when I woke up, that's all,"

Julie nodded but her eyes showed she didn't believe a word Alex said. Thankfully, she let it lie and changed the conversation,

"So, what are you doing today?"

Alex took a bite of toast,

"I'm going to see Piper," she mumbled through her mouthful, and Julie nodded,

"Piper huh? She a new friend of yours?"

"Sort of," Alex started, then she looked to Julie's face to judge her reaction to her next words, "she's Red Ravenwood's niece, just moved into town,"

Julie said nothing, but Alex saw how she froze momentarily, before she gathered herself,

"I see, well you be careful, you hear me? Ive heard things about those Ravenwoods,"

Alex rolled her eyes and rose from the table,

"I'm going to shower then go, text me if you need me for anything okay?"

She then turned without waiting for an answer, making her way to the bathroom with one thing on her mind.

She needed to get to Piper. She needed to know what had happened last night, and she needed to know _now._

 **AN: as always, let me know what you think!**

 **Laura :)**


	5. You Just Kind Of Happened

Alex panted as she jogged her way to Ravenwood Manor. Nicky's car was no longer in her driveway, and a quick call to her best friend confirmed that she had apparently dropped it off the night before, despite having no recollection at all.

Reaching the iron gates once more, Alex wiped the sweat off her brow and looked around, hoping once more that they would open automatically. She stood for near five minutes, waiting, but nothing happened. She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cold iron, silently willing against hope that Piper could hear her, that the gates would open.

Just as the plea went through her head, the gates cracked wide, opening for Alex to walk through. She shook her head, trying to keep the words _magic_ and _witch_ out of her mind, and began the walk down the long path to the manor.

Reaching the door, Alex raised her fist to knock when it swung open, and the ominous figure of Red Ravenwood stared her down from the doorway.

She wasn't tall, but the aura around her made it feel like she towered over Alex's 5"9. She had a shock of red hair, and shrewd eyes that made Alex feel like she knew all of her secrets.

"Hello, uhm – Ms Ravenwood, I'm… Alex… Alex Vause? I'm just here to see your daughter, if she's home?"

"Vause, huh?" She spoke, and Alex was shocked to hear a thick Russian accent, "what do you want with my Piper?"

Alex swallowed hard again, heart beating wildly in her chest,

"We're friends, from school… um… we need to talk about… homework… a class project…"

Alex inwardly cursed herself for being so awkward, but a wry smile appeared on Red's face, and she figured for a second that she had made a decent enough first impression. Red stepped back, opening the door wider and gesturing for Alex to enter. As she mumbled a thank you, she stopped in the hallway when she noticed Piper leaning over the balcony atop the stairs,

"Alex," she stated simply, a tone of surprise in her voice, and Alex found herself smiling dreamily up at her, her questions and concerns momentarily forgotten,

"Hey," she whispered, and Red looked to her with pursed lips and a frown,

"Alex, why don't you come up here, we can go over our homework in my room,"

Alex nodded, once again curious how Piper knew of her homework excuse, she surely wasn't close enough to hear their conversation the whole time… was she?

As she took her first step forward, she felt Red's hand rest firmly on her shoulder, and the strange sensation of being bathed in icy water. It made her shiver.

"Hang on there Piper," Red drawled, "I would like to get to know this new _friend_ of yours, since you don't bring many home,"

Piper frowned and looked concerned, but Alex found herself agreeing, once again as though her mind didn't belong to her, and took a seat across from Red in the hallway as Piper descended the stairs.

"So Alex, tell me about yourself?"

"Well," Alex started, scratching the back of her head, "there's not much to tell really. I go to school with Piper, I live with my mother and my aunt Julie, my father died in a car crash when I was young,"

Red raised an eyebrow,

"I'm sorry to hear that," she muttered, sounding completely uninterested, "what are your plans for after school?"

"Oh I intend to go to college," Alex grinned, and Piper smiled slightly at the enthusiasm in her voice,

"Ah I see, and do you have anywhere in mind?"

Alex grinned wider, and opened her mouth, intending to say _any of them as far away from Litchfield as possible,_ but what came out of her mouth was,

"Anywhere that's as close to Litchfield as possible, so I can look after my mom,"

She frowned, shaking her head and coughing,

"I mean uh, any colleges that are as close to home as possible,"

Alex took a deep breath trying to steady herself, the words she wanted to say were in her mind, she just couldn't seem to get them out,

"Mhmmm," Red affirmed, "continue…"

Alex looked to Piper, whose eyes were darting between Red and Alex. She noticed Red close her eyes, and once again Alex started saying words her mind had not intended to form,

"Well I'll get my teaching degree, probably be forced to marry one of the guys from the community college I go to for sake of keeping face, have an affair with Sylvie on and off for the best part of my marriage until my husband finds out and leaves me…"

Alex felt herself breaking into a sweat, unable to take a breath between her words. Throughout her sentences, Piper had come closer, saying Red's name in warning as though _she_ was the reason for Alex's unexpected rambling,

"I'll quit my job at the school, move into the apartment above the wayward arms hotel and hope they give me a cleaning job 3 days a week. I'll have a heart attack at 53, another one at 64, and at 72 I'll die, but nobody will notice, not until they come to clean the attic out sometime later…"

" _Red!,"_ Piper's shrill scream pierced the air, and as soon as Red's eyes opened Alex felt as though a hand had released her throats and she could breath again. Eyes wide, Alex looked to Piper and back at Red,

"Well it sounds like you've got it all planned out," Red smiled, and Alex laughed nervously, trying to cough the lump out of her throat,

"I'm sorry about that, I'm not sure what came over me," she offered politely, standing, "you'll have to excuse me, I'm feeling a little bit under the weather."

"Alex!" Piper called out as the brunette bolted to the door, but she didn't turn back, fear overriding the urge to be near Piper, and instead half-ran out of the door and into the night, the door slamming shut behind her.

Piper turned to face Red, tears swimming in her eyes,

"You didn't have to do that to her," she said through clenched teeth, voice wavering, and Red huffed,

"I told you Piper, I'll allow you to continue this farce of going to school, but no friends. That was my rule. This town is dangerous and I have to protect you, you're not to see that girl again,"

Piper felt the tears spill over her eyes and she climbed the stairs again,

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure she won't be back,"

Her voice cracked mid sentence, and she ran up the remaining stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her and collapsing onto her bed, sobbing into the sheets. Above her, a raincloud started to form in her ceiling, lightning cracking over it, her magic symbolising her inner turmoil.

Outside, Alex was midway down the drive towards the exit when she heard the crack of lightning from behind her, turning around, she found herself running back to the manor. The fear she felt had wiped away and she felt herself again. Witch or not, she liked Piper a lot, and she couldn't be yet another person who ran away from her.

Approaching the window that the flashes of light came from, Alex looked up. Usually she would throw a stone or a branch, but with Red inside she wanted to make as little noise as possible.

Frowning, Alex tried really hard to think about Piper. She knew it was crazy, but twice before she had thought about her, and twice it was as though something happened in answer from the blonde.

 _Piper,_ she thought, _come to your window_

Inside the house, Piper shot up, the now familiar tingling in her mind catching her attention. Vaguely, as though said through thick panes of glass, she heard Alex's voice in her head, calling her to her window.

She froze. How did Alex know to do that?

Piper had figured out, completely accidentally, weeks ago that she could communicate with Alex telepathically. Even when the brunette didn't mean to, Piper had been so tuned to her that she could read some of her thoughts. Every time Alex felt something with a strong emotion, Piper could hear what went through her head. In a strange way, it amused Piper.

The brunette would be mortified if she knew that Piper had heard some of the thoughts that went through her head when she looked at the blonde.

Getting up, she quietly made her way to the window, looking down, she saw Alex waiting at the bottom,

"You came back," she whispered.

Alex grinned and nodded emphatically,

"I need to speak to you, how do I get up?"

"Climb the tree, I'll help you."

Alex dragged herself up the branches, taking hold of Piper's hands to jump through into her room. Alex looked around, and then suddenly her legs buckled underneath her, and she was hit with a wave of nauseousness that nearly knocked her flat. She held onto Piper's shoulder as her head span, feeling herself being led over to lay on Piper's bed. She could hear the blonde quietly whispering words she couldn't understand, and the next thing she knew, she blacked out.

Alex woke to the smell of hot chocolate. Her mouth was dry, and she felt groggy. Opening one eye, she groaned as she remembered climbing through Piper's window and passing out. As her senses came back to her, she gradually felt things around her. A cold compress was on her forehead, but a blanket wrapped around her body. Looking around the room, her eyes landed on the blonde at her desk, facing away from her, writing something,

"Pipes," she scraped out, the nickname falling naturally from her lips.

The blonde whipped around,

"Hey," she whispered softly, sitting by Alex on the bed she removed the compress from her head, feeling her temperature with the back of her hand, "how are you?"

Alex ignored the question and asked one of her own,

"What happened?"

Piper frowned and sighed,

"It was Red, she has a protective spell on the house so trespassers can't go too far without us finding them, that's what made you black out,"

Alex swallowed again, mind going black at the term "protective spell,". She took the compress off her head and rubbed a hand over her face,

"Okay, Piper? Be honest with me, I know I sound crazy, but are you a witch?"

Piper giggled awkwardly,

"No," she said, and Alex breathed a sigh of relief, falling back onto the bed and covering her whole face with the wet towel,

"… we prefer the term Caster," Piper continued, and Alex dragged the towel off her face slowly, meeting Piper's eyes to see if she was being serious,

"What?" She breathed out, and Piper nodded awkwardly,

"I have magical powers, my whole family do, but we're not witches. Witches convey a message of evil, we want to use our powers for good… or… most of us do anyway,"

Alex dropped the compress on the floor and sat up so she was face to face with Piper,

"The window in class, that was you?"

Piper nodded and blushed,

"I didn't mean to. I can usually control my powers, but that Sylvie, she got me really deep and the next thing I knew, the glass had smashed,"

Alex laughed, sounding delirious,

"I'm dreaming," she chuckled, "I must be dreaming," she slapped herself, and Piper grabbed her hand,

"Stop it, you idiot."

Alex took a deep breath and steadied herself,

"So you're telling me… that you're a," she raised her hands into air quotes, "Caster. And your whole family are too, but you're good and not evil, right?"

"Right," Piper confirmed, and Alex nodded, "well…"

Alex let her head fall back in frustration,

"Well? What else can there be, Piper?"

"I don't know if I'm good or evil yet, I find that out on my 18th birthday, when I'll get chosen for the light or the dark,"

"This is crazy," Alex breathed out, and Piper grabbed her hands,

"Please don't run away, I'm not going to hurt you,"

Alex looked from their hands to Piper's bright blue eyes,

"I know," she said, "it's just a lot to take in,"

As she spoke she tucked a lock of Piper's hair behind her ear, and the blonde smiled,

"I know. I didn't mean to drag you into all this, Alex. You just seemed to happen…"

Alex nodded, moving the hair that she had just tucked away back to Piper's face, partially obscuring it,

"This might sound crazy, but I think I've been dreaming about you for months now,"

Piper took hold of Alex's hand and looked at her questioningly, causing Alex to chuckle nervously,

"That sounded a lot less creepy in my head"

Piper giggled, but nodded her head, and Alex suddenly remembered the whole reason she had come to Ravenwood today,

"Was that you, last night? We touched the locket and I saw… I don't even know what I saw… but it was like I'd gone back in time, and then I woke up in my bed, no clue how I got there,"

Piper nodded,

"I saw the same thing, but it wasn't me. It triggered something when we both touched the locket, but I have no idea what it means,"

Alex looked at her evenly,

"It must mean something, for it to take both of us to cause a reaction, right?"

Piper nodded, still clutching Alex's hand,

"I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't, I shouldn't have even told you now. Mortals aren't supposed to know about us but… I can't seem to stay away from you,"

"I know the feeling," Alex whispered, and Piper bit her lip.

"Do you wanna see something cool?" She asked, and Alex narrowed her eyes, a worried look on her face,

"You're not going to do some voodoo shit on me are you?"

Piper rolled her eyes, then closed them, breathing evenly. Alex braced herself, one hand tangled with Piper's and one raised over her head, and scrunched her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes," Piper whispered, and Alex slowly opened one, then the other, lowering her arm as her mouth dropped open. Piper's room had turned black, shiny gold handwriting in tiny paragraphs dotted around the room, sparkling in the dark. Alex recognised a few passages, and breathed out,

"Poetry,"

Piper nodded, her face slightly illuminated by the golden writing,

"This is where I keep all my favourites, I just wanted to show you so you can see," she raised her arms, "you don't have to be scared of me, magic isn't all dark,"

Alex's eyes dropped to Piper's and she took her face in her face,

"Pipes, I'm not scared of you at all," she laughed disbelievingly, "this is amazing," she looked back at Piper, " _you're_ amazing,"

Slowly, she moved her face towards Piper's, pressing her lips against the blonde's soft ones, feeling her heart pound as Piper kissed her back. Her mouth felt like it was on fire, hot and tingly. After what felt like years, she pulled back. The black around the room had been replaced, instead the ceiling looked like a clear summer's day, and Alex looked back at Piper with a grin on her face. Piper giggled softly, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she tucked her hair back behind her ear,

"I've never made it do that before," she whispered, and Alex chuckled again, squeezing her hand,

"I hate to say it, but you should really go before Red comes to check on me,"

Alex nodded, moving to the window and turning to Piper,

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

Piper giggled, shoving her towards the window,

"No, it's a family thing tomorrow," she smiled, and Alex smiled goofily back,

"How about the next day?"

"I don't know," Piper leaned over, closing her eyes and causing a ladder to appear out of the vines by her house as Alex watched, pushing her out of the window, Alex clung to the top, "say yes," she grinned, and Piper giggled, grabbing her face and kissing her quickly,

"Yes,"

Alex nodded and started to climb down as Piper whispered down to her,

"We need to figure this out, Alex. The locket, something is telling me it means something big."

Alex nodded from the bottom of the ladder,

"Day after tomorrow, my auntie works at the library, we'll go and see what she knows, there's gotta be something there,"

Piper nodded, waving as Alex backed up from the house, not turning away until her foot touched the gravel of the driveway.


	6. You're Not Sending Me Anywhere

The sky was black as Julie made her way through the dense greenery to the river, eyes boring into the darkness, looking for the unmistakable shock of red hair that the head Ravenwood possessed,

"You came," the Russian drawled behind her, causing her to gasp. Turning to face her, Julie raised her chin,

"This is bigger than us now, Ravenwood. This is about our _kids,"_

"She was at the mansion today, the girl of yours,"

Julie frowned,

"At your mansion? Why?"

"To see Piper," Red said slowly, popping the P sound,

"We knew they would find each other eventually, Ravenwood. It's in their destiny,"

"We have to put a stop to it, at least until Piper turns 18-"

"And how do you propose we stop them? The more we push them away from each other, the harder they'll try to resist,"

Julie shook her head before continuing,

"It's in our ancestors, the curse Red, it is bound for Piper,"

"I _know_ that," Red spat out, "but there must be a way to break it,"

The two women stared at each other, at an impasse.

As Piper awoke the next day, she reached across to check the time by her clock, groaning as she stretched. She sat up, smiling softly at the jacket Alex had left behind in her desk chair, a warmth inside of her filling her even to her fingertips, before the worry once again clouded her mind at the impracticality of their situation.

Putting a hand over her face, she sighed into her skin, keeping her eyes closed until Red's voice floated from the stairs,

"Piper, it's time to wake up, your cousins will be here soon,"

"I'm up!" She called back, but closed her eyes. Soon her cousin Stella would arrive; she hadn't seen her since she was claimed by the darkness on her 18th.

She and Stella had been very close as children. She was almost an idol to Piper, she had lost count of how many times she wished she could be her cousin. She was always so cool, so determined, and outrageously beautiful. She had a way with men, and women, and always seemed to get what she want even without the use of magic. She had ran away the night before her 18th birthday, unwilling to face the day of claiming where her true self would be revealed. She had found herself at some train tracks at midnight, when the moon had hit her and the sky had swirled. Stella had tried to run, but _nobody_ can outrun the claiming, and so it began, out in the open. She felt as the darkness ran over her, claiming her body as it's own, and she became cold, unforgiving. The once gentle shade of green in her eyes turned a dark and swirling red, her hair the colour of fire, and as she felt the strength of her power double, she had used it to claim her first victim, enticing a boy from the streets towards her, and onto the path of an oncoming train.

Piper snapped out of her thoughts as the doorbell chimed, indicating the arrival of her cousin. She hopped from the bed, raising her hands and closing her eyes, she felt her outfit change around her, into a dark blue dress, and took a deep breath as she headed for the door.

Peering over the balcony, she saw the flash of hair that was undoubtably Stella, followed by her younger sister Lorna, who was 15 and yet to be claimed. As she began her descent, Stella looked up, red lips shiny brightly, and shot a sly grin Piper's way,

"My my my, Piper. You're shaping up to be almost as beautiful as your cousin,"

Piper rolled her eyes at Stella's cocky attitude, already irritated with her presence,

"Hello, Stella. I haven't seen you since you became the red-eyed devil,"

Stella chuckled darkly,

"There's not long now until you join me on this side, little Chapman,"

"Enough," Red warned, putting the brewing argument to bed, "breakfast is served in the dining room,"

After breakfast Piper excused herself to go to her spot in the field, book and blanket in hand. She settled into the grass, taking out her phone and toying with the idea of calling Alex. In the end, her craving to hear the brunettes voice won out, and she pressed the dial button, holding it to her ear.

Alex picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Pipes," the deep, raspy voice came through the phone, and Piper found herself smiling,

"Hey," she whispered, "I thought I'd call you because I'm bored, my cousins have just gotten here and they're already pissing me off,"

Alex chuckled down the phone,

"Cousins are supposed to piss you off, that's what they're for,"

Piper smiled ruefully,

"You haven't met my cousins,"

"I'd like to though, one day,"

Piper felt her heart lurch at the comment, and her mouth twisted into a grimace at the unlikelihood of that situation ever happening,

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow, even if it is for a library date,"

"Hey I'm still gonna take you out for lunch, I'll borrow the car from Nicky, we'll do something fun,"

Piper smiled,

"It's usually fun when I'm with you,"

"Damn, Pipes. Did showing me that magic of yours make you soft?"

Piper chuckled,

"I thought the poetry was a big enough clue of that,"

Alex laughed quietly,

"Look Pipes I better go, I'm about to start basketball practice and coach is giving me the eye for being on my cell instead of on the court,"

"Okay," Piper whispered, smiling at the image of Alex in her basketball shirt and gym shorts, "kick some ass,"

"Always do," she could hear the smile in the brunettes voice, "I'll call you tomorrow morning about when I can pick you up,"

"Okay… bye"

"Later, Pipes,"

As Alex hung up, Piper let her phone drop to the grass next to her. She lent back on her arms, head back, feeling the sun on her skin,

"Alex huh? And who might she be?"

Piper's head whipped around. Stella was leaning against the stone of the wall separating the field from the mansion, and the blonde immediately went on the defensive. She didn't like the thought of Stella knowing about Alex, didn't trust her to stay away from the brunette,

"How long have you been there?" She asked, and Stella rolled her eyes,

"Long enough to hear the lovesick little tone you and your _girlfriend_ were speaking in,"

"She isn't my girlfriend," Piper said quickly, through gritted teeth, and Stella's eyes lit up maliciously,

"But you want her to be."

Piper fell silent, locked in a staring competition with her cousin,

"Love is for the weak Piper," Stella said as she began to walk away, "especially when it's with a _mortal,"_

She said the last word as though it was a curse, a disease, and Piper's mouth turned down in disgust at her cousin's attitude. A strange feeling of apprehension spread through her; she didn't trust Stella one bit.

"So you and the Ravenwood chick, huh?" Nicky asked later that day as they practised shooting hoops.

Alex knocked her head from side to side as though weighing up what she was going to say,

"I guess… kinda…" and then her face lit up into a smile, "yeah, me and the Ravenwood chick,"

Nicky shook her head but smirked at Alex, and Alex threw the ball at her, giggling in a way that wasn't like her at all.

As they continued to shoot hoops, a roaring sound began to echo in the distance, growing louder and louder by the second. Nicky and Alex whirled around,

"Is that a car?" Alex asked,

"That's a Ferrari dude, I'd know the sound of one of those anywhere,"

Alex raised a brow at Nicky just as a red Ferrari raced around the park, skidding to a stop just by the basketball court. Everyone around had stopped to see the driver get out, and a murmur went through the crowd of people at who came into view.

A woman, red short hair, and a perfect figure emerged. She wore a low cut shirt and tight leather jeans, and despite herself, Alex felt her jaw drop.

" _Fuck,"_ Nicky whispered next to her, and Alex nodded,

"Do you know her?" Alex asked, confused as to why the woman seemed to be approaching them. At that point, she raised her hand in a wave, and Alex frowned, looking around,

"Is she waving at us?" Nicky whispered, eyes still fixed on the woman, she raised her hand, a goofy smile on her face, and the woman smiled as she came to stand just in front of them.

She took a cigarette out from her bag, lighting it as as stared between the two of them. After taking a drag, she narrowed her eyes,

"Which one of you two ladies is Alex?"

Nicky looked up to the brunette, and Alex raised her hand. A smile lit up across the woman's face, blinding both Nicky and Alex, and Nicky smiled dreamily at her again,

"I'm Nicky," she sighed, and the woman looked her up and down, smiling again,

"I'm Stella," she whispered, then her eyes fell to Alex, "Piper's cousin,"

Alex froze instantly, had Piper told her about Alex? She mustn't have, she said she wasn't supposed to be around her, casters and mortals wasn't allowed, a frown spread across Alex's face but she remained silent,

"What?" Stella asked, still grinning wickedly, "didn't Piper tell you about me?"

Alex shook her head, still having not uttered a word. She looked into Stella's eyes, so stirringly brown they seemed to flash red for a second.

Suddenly, Alex felt as though she had been hypnotised by those eyes. The flash of red grew stronger, swirling in the iris, and she felt her mind run away with her. Smiling, she felt almost drunk. She took Stella's offered hand, and found herself being dragged from Nicky and to the Ferrari, Stella suggesting a family ordeal that Piper would just _love_ to see her at.

Piper watched as her grandmother arranged the room with the lift of a hand. She swiped through the air, causing the cutlery to line up in order across the newly covered table.

"Where has Stella gotten to?" The old woman wondered aloud, and Piper shrugged non-committedly,

"Maybe she's gone home, where everyone wants her to be," Piper muttered, and Celeste raised a hand, swiping her palm through midair.

Piper groaned at the sharp pain she felt at the back of her head, just like her grandmother had slapped her,

"Be polite, Piper," she warned her, and Piper made a scoffing noise as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Grandmother! Piper!" Stella's voice echoed from the hallway through the household, the sound of the front door closing ringing out with it, "I've brought a surprise to dinner,"

Piper rolled her eyes at her theatrics and took a seat at the table. Lorna sat across from her, brows furrowed in curiosity. Piper looked down at her plate instead of where Stella would be entering the room, watching as the servers brought out trays of all different kinds of food, when she heard her grandmother gasp.

Looking up from her plate, Piper met eyes with Lorna, who was staring at the doorway behind her head with wide eyes, to her grandmother, who stood with a hand on her cheek, eyebrows raised,

"Stella, what have you done?"

Piper whirled around, and it felt like her heart stopped beating and her breath caught all at the same time. Stella was standing, evil grin intact, with a hand on Alex's shoulder. The brunette was still in her basketball uniform, so Stella must have picked her up from practice,

"Alex, what are you doing here?" Piper muttered, and Alex stared back, opening her mouth to speak but silencing at a squeeze on her shoulder from Stella,

"Why she just wanted to drop in, become part of the family and all," Stella answered for her.

Piper's eyes didn't even flicker to where Stella was standing. They stayed trained on Alex, and Alex's were staring right back at her. There was something missing from the gaze. Alex wasn't looking at her with the heat and curiosity and general _happiness_ that she usually did. Her eyes were glazed, confusion the main emotion in them.

"Why don't you sit down then, Alex Vause? Make yourself comfortable, right there," she pointed to the chair at the end of the table, and Alex nodded immediately, moving to the chair without breaking piper's gaze.

"What did you do to her?" Piper asked through clenched teeth, feeling the familiar bubbling of her magic threatening to spill over; she clenched her fists hard below the table.

"Just some easy little mind control, humans can't help themselves, they're just so easy to manipulate," she smirked, "and plus, you were never going to introduce her to the family, so I thought I would do it myself and hurry things along,"

Piper walked briskly to the end of the table, reaching her hand out towards Alex. The brunette held her stare, but flinched away when Piper tried to make contact. The blonde swallowed thickly, trying to remember that Stella was controlling Alex and it wasn't actually _her_ that was pulling away from her.

"Stop it," she spat at Stella, finally raising her eyes to the red ones of her cousin,

"Stop what?" Stella sneered, flicking her finger and making Alex's chair spin on the spot, causing the brunettes head to fly back with the speed of it,

"Leave. Her. Alone."

Piper spoke each word clearly, slowly. She clenched and unclenched her fist, feeling the familiar tingling of her powers through her fingertips.

Stella laughed, raising an eyebrow and making Alex spin faster.

Her laughter split the last strain of Piper's self control, and without thinking, she slammed her palms onto the wood of the table,

"Stop!" She screamed, and as her palms made contact with the table, a loud crack echoed around the room, and a blue dome of electricity covered them for a second, knocking Stella back into the wall and splitting the middle of the table. Somehow Piper managed to keep Alex safe, and the brunette shook her head as though shaking off a bad thought, looking around the room with wide eyes,

"What the f- Pipes? What am I doing here?"

Piper still had her hands on the table, leaning over and breathing heavily. Stella was pressed up against the wall, and her grandmother stood at the doorway with Red, both staring wide eyed at Piper.

The blonde suddenly felt a rush of tears, the magnitude of the situation overwhelming her. She moved her eyes back to Alex, gaze softening at the worry in the green gaze. Swallowing thickly, Piper moved quickly to the end of the table, gripping Alex's hand and pulling her towards the door, ignoring the shouts of her family behind her.

She dragged the brunette to her car, sliding into the drivers seat and driving away, tyres screeching behind her. Alex stayed silent as she drove, but kept her eyes trained on Piper's face. She had no clue what happened back there, but something had spooked the blonde.

Alex wasn't sure how long they'd been driving when Piper finally pulled up at the side of a road. The blonde got out of the car, slamming the door behind her and leaning onto it, head against the top of the closed door. Alex watched her silently, not able to see Piper's face anymore. She slowly got out of the car, gently closing the door behind her and making her way to where Piper was standing, face buried in her arms on the roof of the car.

"Pipes?" She whispered, and the blonde mumbled something, too muffled by her arms for Alex to understand, "Pipes, look at me,"

Piper slowly raised her head, fixing Alex with a watery, red eyed gaze. Her mascara had ran to her cheekbones, and Alex felt her heart clench painfully in her chest,

"We shouldn't see each other anymore," the blonde whispered, staring past Alex to the sign just behind them that read _Now Leaving Litchfield._

Alex blinked and frowned,

"What?"

"I couldn't let you get hurt because of me, Alex. Stella… she's… she's _evil._ She does things just to upset people, if she ever did anything harmful to you, I couldn't… I wouldn't know how to…"

The blonde head fell back onto her arms, another sob breaking through her.

Alex stepped forward, wrapping her hand around one of Piper's wrists. Her long fingers wrapped right around the thin bone, and she squeezed lightly as she tugged, trying to pry Piper's face to turn to her.

Piper let her take her wrist, looking down first at the long pale fingers wrapped against her thin, tanned wrist, slowly running up Alex's body until she met her eyes.

"Piper," she whispered, pulling on her wrist so the blonde stepped forward into her embrace. She placed one hand on her hip, resting the other palm on the soft skin of the blonde's cheek. She tilted her head to the side with a slight frown, rubbing her thumb on the running mascara, wiping it away along with Piper's tears, "You're not sending me anywhere,"

Piper's lip quivered as her big blue eyes darted between Alex's,

"Al-"

Alex cut her off, her thumb resting over the blonde's pink lips.

"Do you want me to stop seeing you?" She whispered, and Piper's eyes swam with tears once more,

"Of course not, but-" Piper started, and Alex leant forward, pressing her own lips against the blonde's softly.

Piper closed her eyes, savouring the unexpected gentleness. All too soon, Alex pulled away,

"I don't care about what dangers there are. I don't care that you're a witch or a Caster or whatever the hell you call yourself. I don't care that you've got crazy family, I don't think I've had an ex yet that didn't have a crazy family,"

Piper chuckled softly at her joke, reaching her hand up to rest it on the hand Alex had against her cheek,

"I know I haven't known you for long, but I feel like we've got some kind of connection or something. I really, _really_ like you, Pipes. If you don't want me to stick around then I'll go, it'll be difficult, and it'll kill me every day, but I'll go,"

She raised her other hand to rest on Piper's other cheek, cupping her face,

"But if you're willing to stick with me, I'd really like to give this a go. We'll figure it all out. Julie, Red, Stella, the people at school, I don't care about any of them. I care about you, and I want to do this properly,"

Piper stared at her in awe, struck by the unexpected turn of the conversation,

"You mean…?" She trailed off, eyes wide. Alex smirked and nodded,

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Piper stared at her for a second longer before throwing her arms around her shoulders, knocking Alex backwards into the sign behind them. Alex's hands found her waist as she pressed her lips feverishly against the brunettes, sliding her tongue into her mouth. Alex groaned, her hands clenching at the skin of Piper's hips over her shirt, feeling the familiar heat prickling through her that she always did when they were close. She felt sweat run down her neck, suddenly feeling as though the heat had been turned up 40 degrees. She heard a _whoosh_ sound in her ears, and Piper broke free of the kiss, breathing heavily. Her eyes landed over Alex's shoulder, and the brunette turned to find the _litchfield_ sign partly black and charred, as though it had been set on fire.

She looked back to Piper, smirking with an eyebrow raised, and Piper ran her hand through her own hair nervously,

"I'm going to need to learn how to control that when you're near me like that,"

Alex's smile lit up her face at the promise in Piper's words,

"So, do you mean?"

Piper giggled and nodded,

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Al," Piper said, reassured by Alex's confession that somehow, they'd make it work.

Alex laughed, sweeping Piper up by the waist and placing her on the hood of the car, leaning down to kiss her again, feeling the prickly heat spread up her neck as Piper balled her basketball jersey in her fists at her waist, everything else forgotten apart from the blonde in her arms.

 **AN: Guys! I'm so sorry for the wait for this chapter, not only was it a pretty pivotal and difficult one to write, but I've also been kinda busy moving from uni to home for the xmas holidays! Either way, here's this chapter for you and I hope to have another one out in a day or two. Also wanted to say I'm sorry to the guest that reviewed just this morning asking me to keep you updated on what's going on, I'm not gunna give up on the story and I hope this chapter gives me forgiveness!**

 **Special shoutout to MagiKar for your reviews too, the one about being desperate really made me laugh, I hope this makes up for my absence!**

 **Laura :)**


	7. I've Never Been More Okay In My Life

Alex couldn't contain the smile on her face the next day as she drove to pick Piper up for their "date". She knew it was a serious occasion, they needed to find out what was behind the locket, and she was riddled with nerves about introducing Piper to Julie, but the thought of spending a whole day with her was enough to override the worry.

As agreed, Piper was waiting for her at the turn-in to Ravenwood Manor. They decided it would be best to keep Alex away from her family for a while, just as a precaution. As she pulled over, she smirked at Piper waving excitedly, running over to the passenger side, holding her skirt down against the wind.

"Hey," she breathed as she shut the door behind her,

"Hey," Alex whispered, placing a hand behind Piper's seat and leaning in to press her lips against the blonde's lightly, keeping her face close even after she pulled away. Piper raised her hand to rest her fingertips on the brunettes jawline,

"It's a little windy out for a skirt, don't you think?" She muttered playfully, still smirking.

Piper looked down at herself, smoothing her hands over the material, blushing,

"I wanted to look… nice…"

Alex raised her eyebrows, smirk wiped off her face,

"For me?" She asked dumbly, and Piper blushed again, deeper this time. She avoided Alex's eyes,

"Obviously," she muttered haughtily and Alex smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as the blonde met her eyes again,

"I always think you look nice, Pipes," she said simply, before pulling away and starting the car up, pulling away from the curb and towards the library as Piper smiled goofily her way, moving her hand to entwine their fingers between the seats, enjoying the way gentle heat spread through her palm.

Walking through the doors of the library, Alex nodded to the woman seated at the front desk,

"Hey Bet, is Julie around? We could use her help with something,"

Bet smiled at Alex as she looked up from her book, but the small faltered as she watched the brunette wrap her arm around the shoulders of the young blonde girl next to her,

"She should be in the back," she stated dryly, eyes darting between the two girls before looking back down at her book. Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise, quickly looking at Piper then back to the old woman at the desk,

"Oh… okay, thanks," she muttered, frowning.

She grabbed Piper's hand and led her through the doors to the back of the library,

"Julie?," she called once she reached the stockroom, "Julie, its Alex,"

The short woman came into view from behind a stack near the wall,

"I had a strange feeling you would be coming to visit me today, kid," she smiled, then her eyes landed on Piper, who was standing just behind Alex, gripping one of her hands with both of hers, "and who might this young lady be?"

Julie smiled as she asked the question, but Alex had a funny feeling Julie knew exactly who Piper was,

"This is Piper Chapman," Alex smiled softly down at the blonde, who smiled politely towards Julie,

"It's lovely to meet you Ms Vause, Alex has told me so much about you,"

"I wish I could say the same but she's never mentioned you once to me," Julie clipped, words harsh but a smile plastered on her face still.

"Oh," Piper blinked, taken aback, and looked up at Alex awkwardly,

"Yes I have," Alex said frowning, "we had a whole conversation about her not 3 days ago,"

Julie just hummed dismissively, causing Alex to frown deeper at why her Auntie was being so standoffish,

"Anyway, what do you need me for?"

Alex moved over to the desk at the far end of the room, taking out the locket from a cloth in her back pocket, and laid it out on the wood. Julie stared at the locket, then back up to Alex, eyes darting between her and Piper,

"Where did you find this?"

"It was in the back of Nicky's car. I thought that Piper had dropped it by accident, but she said she'd never seen it before,"

Piper nodded,

"I don't know how it must have gotten there," she muttered, "but it as my birthday and my initials carved into it…"

Julie stared at the locket further, not saying a word, so Alex spoke again,

"This is going to sound crazy to you, but something happened when we both touched it, something… weird,"

Julie looked up to Alex, then back to Piper,

"Weird…?"

Alex nodded,

"When we touched it at the same time, we… we saw…" Alex faultered, not sure how much she could say without confirming the towns suspicions about to Ravenwoods to Julie. Piper squeezed her hand tightly, stepping in to continue the story,

"It was like a vision, we were both transported to another time, Civil War era from what I could make out. There was a woman and a man shouting of each other, the man got shot and the woman screamed, and then everything stopped,"

Julie nodded, moving over to the door and locking it before turning back to Alex and Piper with a grave expression on her face,

"Don't think for a second I don't know what your family are, girl," she muttered lowly to Piper, and Alex froze, eyes widening, but Piper didn't seem fazed at all. The polite air she was giving off had vanished, and she fixed Julie with a steely look,

"We all have our secrets," she whispered, and Alex looked down at her, confused. From the way she said it, it was as though she knew something about her auntie that Alex didn't. She wanted to press the matter, but decided that decreasing the tension was their best interest at that point,

"Can you help us, Julie?" She asked desperately, and her auntie looked at her, her gaze softening,

"Maybe," she looked to Piper, "Piper, has your father ever told you about the curse?"

At this, Alex felt Piper stiffen next to her,

"No," she said, "but I've heard things," her voice went quiet at the end, shaky, and Alex looked back up to Julie,

"Curse? What curse?"

Julie settled into a chair near the desk,

"Legend has it that a century ago, right up on Honey Hill, a woman was scorned in love, betrayed so deeply and brutally that she instilled a curse on the women of the family after her. The only issue is, nobody knows what the curse entails, only she who is destined to break it can read the secrets behind it,"

"How do we know who is destined to break it?"

Piper tried to make her voice sound strong, but Alex could hear the tremor in her voice, and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders, relaxing a little when she felt the other's fingers entwine with hers over Piper's chest.

"We don't," Julie muttered darkly, "but there is a book, kept here, that only the curse breaker can open, and reveal the secret of the curse,"

"It's here?" Alex whispered, and Julie nodded,

"I didn't believe in all of this, until I met your aunt, Piper. There are a lot of secrets in this town, girls. I know more about the Ravenwoods than most would think,"

"Can I see it?" Piper asked, and Julie shook her head,

"Not now, child. First you have to ask your aunt, I've learnt my lesson about dabbling in Caster drama without her permission,"

Alex could sense Piper about to argue, but she knew Julie was right. She tightened her arm around the blonde,

"Okay well, we're going to go home. Piper is gunna stay at our place tonight, is that okay?"

Piper looked up at Alex with her brow raised, but felt a thrill go through her at the thought of staying with her girlfriend overnight. Julie looked between them and hummed disapprovingly,

"Well it looks like I can't stop what you two are doing, no matter how dangerous I might think it is," she pursed her lips, "she can stay, but no funny business,"

Alex raised her hand in surrender, steering Piper back out to the car.

They hadn't spoken a word for the entire journey back to Alex's place, so when the brunette pulled up to the driveway, she quickly got out of the car, jogging round to open Piper's for her and took her hand as she climbed out, keeping their fingers linked as they walked through the house and up to Alex's room.

Alex let go of Piper to close the door, walking to her desk to put some music on quietly. She sat down on the edge of her bed, looking up to find Piper rifling through her book collection,

"Hey," Alex whispered, and Piper looked up, meeting her eyes and biting her lip, "come here,"

Piper walked over, placing her legs on either side of Alex's and sitting on her lap, giggling as Alex shuffled back on the bed whilst gripping her hip so she could lean back against the wall. Getting herself comfy, she stared up at Piper,

"Are you okay?"

Piper nodded,

"Yeah… just worried," she muttered, smiling half-heartedly, "what if this curse has something to do with us being together? Breaking a curse doesn't sound like something _nice,"_

Alex rubbed her hands up and down Piper's waist,

"Neither of us know what's going to happen,"

"That's what's scaring me,"

Alex looked up at Piper, green eyes meeting blue, and moved her hand to the back of the blonde's head, gently tugging her to press their lips together.

Piper moved her fingertips to either side of Alex's face, moaning softly at the feelings of her tongue running against her own.

Alex closed her eyes as she kissed Piper languidly, hands slipping from the blonde's hips to her bare legs, feeling a jolt go through her stomach at the unknown skin.

Slowly she rolled to the side, landing on her back with Piper hovering above her. The blonde groaned again, louder this time, and pressed herself further into the warm body below her.

"Pipes," Alex whispered thickly as she began to drop wet kisses on Alex's neck, "Slow down, babe"

Piper giggled and let her head fall onto Alex's shoulder, enjoying the way her hands felt up and down the back of her thighs,

"Do you actually want me to slow down," she asked, feeling a new found confidence run through her at the tremor in Alex's voice. Gently, she raised her head to bite the brunettes earlobe, and Alex hissed lightly,

"No," she groaned, "but I don't want you to set me on fire either,"

Piper sat up immediately, snapped out of her sexual trance. She hadn't noticed the droplets of sweat at Alex's neck, the redness of her skin. She moved her hands to rest on her neck,

"Oh shit, Alex I'm so sorry-"

Alex chuckled,

"Come back here," she smiled, and Piper leant back down slowly, running her nose up and down Alex's,

"Just take it slowly, okay? We'll build up to it,"

Piper grinned again and nodded, giggling as Alex flipped them over so she was above her,

"Let's see how worked up we can get you before you set my room on fire, huh?"

Piper blushed again but grinned cheekily, nodding as Alex made her way down the bed, kissing and nipping at her neck while her hands ran from her calf to the top of her thigh. Piper's hand closed around the back of her neck, scratching lightly. Alex could feel the heat of Piper's touch, but it didn't burn the way it was just moments before.

"You okay?" Alex murmured, running her tongue down Piper's neck to the collar of her shirt,

"I've never been so okay in my life," Piper breathed, and Alex chuckled again, placing her fingertips at the edge of Piper's shirt, just touching the skin of her stomach,

"Can I move my hands up?"

Piper nodded, hands now gripping at Alex's hair. She twitched as she felt the cold skin of her fingers spread over her abdomen, skimming closer and closer to her bra. Alex continued to suck on the skin of Piper's neck, hard enough to leave a mark, but she had started to feel the sweat build up on her neck from Piper's hands.

She toyed with her bra, gently running her hands over it as she moved her lips back to Piper's.

"Please," Piper whispered against her lips, and Alex heard herself groan loudly as the blonde ran her tongue across her jawbone. Alex could feel her shirt sticking to her skin, her hair was matted at the temples and her mouth was dry, but she shut her hands, pleasure winning out over the discomfort, pushing her hand underneath Alex's bra, gently tweaking the nipple with two fingers,

"Oh my _god,"_ Piper groaned into Alex's ear, and Alex groaned at the sound that she'd be replaying in her head over and over again. She felt Piper's hips buck up into her, and at the same time she felt a rush of pleasure run through her, she felt as though every point where her skin was touching Piper's was on fire, and she found herself jumping away,

" _Fuck,"_ she hissed, jumping back and shaking her head, wiping the sweat from her brow,

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" She heard Piper gasp, breathless.

Alex knelt in front of Piper, eyes closed with her hands behind her head, she breathed out slowly and chuckled,

"It's fine Pipes, step by step like we said, right?"

"Right,"

Alex opened her eyes to look at her girlfriend, the smirk on her face wiped off instantly at the sight in front of her. Piper was laid, face flushed and hair messy, with her arms above her head staring wide eyed at Alex. Her skirt was hiked up her long, tanned legs, and her shirt was pulled up, her flat torso on display.

She groaned and tipped her head back again,

"Jesus, Pipes,"

Piper felt a thrill go through her at the way Alex's eyes roved over her body; it took everything she had to cover herself up.

"Sorry," she muttered, grinning.

Alex pursed her lips at her, hiding a smile, and climbed off the bed to hand Piper one of her t-shirts from the drawer.

"Put this on," she murmured playfully, "we better go to sleep before I decide that I'd quite like a death by fire,"

Piper giggled and got up from the bed, deciding to tease Alex one more time before she got into bed. Slowly, she unbuttoned her skirt and pushed it down her legs, bending with her back to Alex, and heard the growl in response behind her. Smiling, she reached around to undo her bra, feeling Alex's eyes burning into her skin, and reached for the shirt. As she slipped it on, she turned around, giving Alex a brief but clear view of her chest before the shirt once again covered her.

Alex shook her head and looked away as she continued to pull her jeans down her legs before settling back in bed. She turned to Piper and tapped the space in front of her, relaxing more than she ever could remember once the blonde cuddled into her arms.

Alex moved Piper's hair from her neck and the blonde entwined their fingers over her stomach. Gently, she pressed a kiss just below her ear,

"You'll be the death of me one of these days, kid," she muttered, and Piper giggled softly next to her, "Night, fireball,"

"Goodnight, puny mortal,"

Alex tickled her ribs playfully as Piper giggled, before wrapping her arms around her and drifting off into a happy, dreamless sleep.

 **AN: Hi guys! Posted this because I said I would have a new chapter within a day or two. It's nearly midnight in the UK and I haven't proofread this at all so if there's any mistakes I'm sorry, as always, please review!**

 **Laura xo**


	8. Mortals Are Weak, Mortals Are Useless

The next morning, Piper woke cuddled into Alex's side. Her head rested on her chest, and Alex had an arm tightly wrapped around her, holding her close. Their bare legs were entwined beneath the covers, and Piper nuzzled further into the soft skin of the brunette's neck as she ran her foot up and down Alex's outstretched calf.

Leaning up on her elbow, she watched with a soft smile on her face at the sleeping face of her girlfriend. She was so pretty, Piper really didn't tell her enough. Gently, she nuzzled against Alex's jawline, pulling her earlobe lightly between her teeth until the brunette began to stir,

"What are you a fucking vampire now?" She grumbled, voice deep with sleep,

"Nah," Piper smiled, "Still just a plain old magician,"

Alex scoffed and pulled her down for a kiss,

"What time is it?"

Piper turned and stretched towards the clock, turning back around and resting her chin on Alex's chest, looking up at her,

"Almost 7," she sighed, "we need to go to school today, Red doesn't know I skipped yesterday yet but she'll hate me if she finds out."

"Are you worried about speaking to her after that whole Stella thing?"

"Kind of," Piper muttered as she chewed her lip, "I'm mostly worried about telling them about you and me," she looked at Alex warily, and the brunette shrugged,

"We'll figure it out. Library after school tonight yeah?"

"Yeah," Piper leaned down to drop a kiss on Alex's lips, "I'm gunna go get a shower, stay here, we'll never make it to school if you follow me in,"

Alex grinned,

"I can't be set on fire if there's water to put it out," she cocked a brow at the blonde, earning herself a giggle,

"Another time," Piper murmured against her lips before wandering off to the bathroom, leaving Alex staring after her longingly.

"Seriously, this girl man. She was all like 'I've never done anything like this before' and then the next thing I know she's on me riding all this like it's going out of fashion,"

Alex chuckled and shook her head as she put her feet up on her desk at the back of history class,

"Who was it this time, Nic?" She smirked, and Nicky's smile grew wide and mischievous,

"Susie Carmen, in the year below," she paused, waiting for her best friends reaction.

Alex's head whirled to the side, dropping her legs from the table,

"The _Pastor's_ daughter?" She laughed incredulously, and Nicky nodded, dipping her head in a fake bow,

"The one and only, and let me tell you, that is one Daddy's little girl that is _definitely_ going to hell,"

Alex shook her head, getting out her papers to roll a cigarette for after class. Nicky watched as she separated the tobacco in the packet,

"What about you and Chapman, huh? How's that ass treating you?"

Alex threw her a look as she licked her roll closed, placing it behind her ear she turned to her best friend,

"I'm not telling you anything about Piper," she smirked, and Nicky raised her brows,

"What? You tell me about all the girls! How else would I know that Sylvie likes it when you t-"

"-Piper is different," Alex interrupted, laughing,

"Why?"

She shrugged, digging in her bag for a light,

"She's just different,"

Nicky shook her head but smiled as she took the tobacco from Alex to roll her own cigarette, as she began, the teacher came into the classroom. Nicky moved her back to obstruct the view, raising her head as though she was paying attention.

Alex raised her head in interest as their history teacher began writing on the board at the front of class, craning her neck to try and see over the heads in her way. As Mr Thompson stepped out of the way of the board, she heard herself sigh,

 _THE BATTLE OF HONEY HILL: CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT_

 _ALL STUDENTS MUST PARTICIPATE_

"Every fucking year," she whispered as groans surrounded the class, and Nicky rolled her eyes and she put away the cigarettes in her bag.

"Now I know that the anniversary of the Civil War is during your Christmas holidays," Thompson started, "but the reenactment is an integral part of your high school education, you'll all be handed parts to play, you'll all honour our town's part in the great battle," 

Alex stopped listening as he began to drone about Litchfield being the sight of the bloodiest battle in the civil war, she'd heard it all a million times, and instead gazed out of the window, counting the seconds until school was over and she could focus on what was, right now, a much more important problem than her part in a war reenactment.

Two floor away, Piper tapped her foot against one of the legs of her table as she took notes in her Spanish class, frowning as she tried to remember different translations. It was last period, and she'd hardly seen Alex all day. Since the window incident, the school had arranged for Piper and Sylvie to not be in the same class – no doubt a demand from Sylvia's mother – which also meant she was rarely now in the same class as Alex. She'd seen her briefly at lunch before the brunette had to run away to detention for being caught with cigarettes in first period, but other than that it had been a long and lonely day.

As she watched the clock, she found herself drifting away and thinking about her girlfriend, wishing she was around, and suddenly heard her voice filling her head,

" _What the fuck does Trigonometry even mean?"_

Piper sat up and looked around, startled. Alex was nowhere to be seen, she didn't take Spanish, but Piper was certain she had just heard her. She checked the time, remembering Alex told her she had math last period, when a bolt of realisation hit her.

She could _hear_ her. Alex was in math, struggling with trig, and Piper could hear her thinking.

She listened again, blocking everything else around her,

" _Stacy could help, she's always been nice to me,"_

Piper bristled at the mention of a girl's name, but was too stuck on the new phenomenon to care right now.

She knew that Caster's had the ability to read minds; she'd done that plenty of times before. They were very intuitive.

However, she had _never_ heard of people able to read the thoughts of someone they weren't near, or even looking at. She remembered reading about telepathy in a book her grandmother bought her years ago, about the ability to speak to someone through the mind, perhaps it was that she felt?

" _Alex?"_ She thought, " _Alex can you hear me?"_

Piper sat, feeling stupid, waiting for a response. None came.

Huffing, she frowned. Concentrating hard once again, she tried to focus in on Alex once more, but she could no longer hear anything. She folded her arms and watched the clock count down to the bell, wondering what she had just experienced, and adding it to the growing list of things about her powers she was completely clueless on.

When the bell rang, Piper all but ran to the parking lot to find Alex, feeling herself physically relax as soon as she laid eyes on her, casually leaning against Nicky's car in an open flannel, smoking a cig with her frizzy haired best friend beside her. She raised her hand in a wave, and Piper beamed as she moved towards her, relishing in the way Alex reached out to put her arm around her even with Nicky right there watching.

"Well then," Nicky shouted, hopping down from the roof of her car, "I don't believe we've been properly introduced,"

She walked to Piper, taking her hand and putting it to her mouth,

"Nicky, m'lady,"

Alex laughed and shoved Nicky back while Piper giggled,

"Piper. It's nice to finally meet you properly Nicky, Alex talks about you all the time," she smiled up at her, and Alex rolled her eyes,

"Yeah well, I bet it's still not even half the amount she talks about you,"

Nicky and Piper chuckled at each other, and Alex coughed awkwardly as she threw her cig away,

"Anyway, are we taking your car Pipes?"

Piper nodded, linking her fingers with Alex's,

"Later, Nic," Alex nodded at her friend, and Nicky waved, throwing her own cig away as she climbed into the drivers seat of her car.

Heading to the library, Alex glanced sideways towards her girlfriend, taking her hand between the seats,

"Did you tell Red yet? About the book?"

Piper shook her head,

"No, but I think she already knows somehow…"

"What makes you think that?"

Piper jutted her head towards the back of the car,

"Get my cell out of my bag, check the last text from her,"

Alex reached over to take Piper's phone from her bag, scrolling through to Red's name,

 _If you're doing what I think you're doing at the library, watch yourself. There may be dangers we do not know about._

Alex read the text in her head, then looked up at Piper,

"Well that's permission as good as any," she smirked, and Piper giggled, shaking her head. Alex chuckled and read out the text again, putting on a strong Russian accent, and Piper smacked her lightly on the arm as she pulled over to the library,

"Behave," she said playfully, and Alex held her hands up in surrender.

A few hours later, Alex found herself sitting by Piper as she rifled through the pages of a heavy, ancient book.

"I can't see anything of importance in here, Julie," Piper sighed, exasperated.

Julie pursed her lips,

"Perhaps it would be better if you read this away from our eyes," she muttered, looking between Alex and Piper,

"No," Alex stated immediately, "Absolutely not, something dangerous could happen."

"Alex," Piper whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I think she might be right. If this is old magic, I bet the Caster's have forbidden it in the eyes of mortals,"

Alex leaned back in her chair and sighed angrily, rubbing her hand over her face. She was becoming increasingly tired of trying to help or protect Piper and just being told that "mortals are useless."

"Fine," she shook her head, "I won't look at it but I want to come in the other room with you,"

"Al, you might get hurt, remember? Old Casters were really against mort-"

"Mortals yeah, weak, untrustworthy, I know. Is there anything I _can_ do to help you Piper? Because I've been sitting here with you for hours, driving you around for days to find the answers to something that _I'm_ a part of too, just to be told I'm a mortal at every turn and to try the other damn door,"

Piper looked at her, hurt evident in her eyes, but Alex had let her temper go now, and she needed some fresh air to get rid of the frustration,

"You know what," she sighed, "I'll leave you to it."

"Al, no I don't want you to le-"

"- it's fine Pipes, you'll probably be quicker without me holding you back anyway. Figure it out for both of us, I'll be back soon,"

She collected her stuff from the desk and pushed away, resting her hand lightly on Piper's head for a second before sweeping out of the room.

Piper watched her go, mouth agape. She felt the strong and sudden urge to cry. She had never argued with Alex before, and while that might have been a soft argument, Alex had still never spoken to her in that tone before, and Piper didn't like it one bit.

She looked up to Julie with tears in her eyes, dashing at her eyes roughly,

"Just give her some time, you know how she can get when she feels like she's not doing all she can,"

Piper nodded, picking up the ancient spell book and moving it into the side room Julie had pointed out earlier,

"If you need me give me a shout," Julie whispered, smiling as she shut the door behind her, leaving Piper alone in the room.

Swallowing against the sadness in her throat, Piper turned the front cover of her book over, gasping at what she saw inside.

The faded, black and white print had gone. Instead, there were drawings and paragraphs in a glowing purple writing, some on the pages of the book and some hovering just above. She shook her head, desperately trying to push her angry girlfriend to the back of her head. She had found it, she had the information in front of her.

It was time to crack the mystery behind the curse.

 **AN: Hi guys! Another chapter! They seem to be rolling of pretty easily, the curse and how to break it is going to be revealed in the next chapter/the one after that, then we can get down to the action behind everything! If anyone has any guesses about the curse I'd love to hear them, as always please review and let me know where you think everything is going!**

 **Laura xo**

 **PS, I'm on Tumblr if any of you guys use it too! It's mainly just Tv and internet trash, but I'll be posting about my fics now and then too to keep it up to date, it's LozzZzz if you wanna come say hi!**


	9. I Love You, Alex Vause

**AN: This one is an M, kids**

Alex huffed as she walked, backpack slung over her shoulder, jacket dangling from her other hand. She didn't know where she was going, didn't really have anywhere to go if she was honest with herself, but she needed somewhere to calm down. For a minute she considered going to Nicky's place, but didn't think she had the patience in her to handle that Jesus Freak cousin of hers. Her mom was still holed up in her room, Julie was at work, and her old method of meeting Sylvie by the lake whenever she needed to blow off steam was no longer an option. She had Piper now, but she couldn't go back to her either.

 _Piper._

Alex sighed as she thought of her stubborn girlfriend. She knew she had overreacted at her telling her she didn't want her to be with her while she read the book. She was right after all, perhaps it _was_ made so that only a Caster could see it. Nonetheless, she hated feeling helpless, and ever since this thing with Piper started, helpless seemed to be her number one descriptor.

She threw her stuff down as she got to the waterside, unceremoniously plonking herself onto the grass. She picked her jacket up and slid her arms into it, cold now that the heat of her anger had disappeared from her body, and took out her pack of tobacco, rolling herself a cigarette as she looked out at the cold, cloudy sky. Lighting it, she took a drag and closed her eyes, feeling herself starting to calm instantly. Taking out her phone, she typed a quick message out for Piper, feeling both foolish _and_ guilty for being so mean with her as she left the library,

 _Piper: Hey, I'm sorry for being such a dick back there. I'm not good with being helpless, I just wish I could do more to help. Come to my place tonight after you've finished, we'll talk about what you've found and have pizza and stuff x_

* * *

Piper's phone buzzed by her hand, head buried deeply into the book. She had read a chapter of the magic markings, and so far she had learned a great deal about spells and their origins, but nothing about any ancient curse. She puffed out, causing a strand of hair to lift and fall back onto her face, and picked up her phone, and felt a smile spread across her face at the text from her girlfriend, feeling her heart clench in her chest,

 _Alex: Don't worry about it, I would feel the same. Just remember that I want you here, I would have you with me in a second if I could. Pizza and movies sounds perfect, I'll meet you at your place x_

Smiling, she picked the book back up, a new sense of purpose behind her now that she had cleared everything up with Alex, skimming through to the middle chapters in the hope of finding something quicker.

A few hours later, Piper made a break through. Somewhere amidst the list of famous Caster's, the name Penelope Chapman stood out from a mile away. Piper ran her finger over the name, and the purple words in front of her turned red, a page of a book appearing in thin air in front of her. Piper leaned back, gasping in shock, before she leant forward, realising that the paper was a contract, handwritten.

 _1864:_

 _The Caster's are raging war, in amongst the blood shed it can't be told who is mortal and who is not. Powers were used today, out in the open in front of fighting soldiers and innocent civilians, a curse that was told at full voice rebounded upon Honey Hill._

 _Penelope Erin Chapman, the niece of the famous founder Mallon Ravenwood, sets out to curse all those that crossed her mortal lover, Alexander Vause. It is said that Alexander, as a soldier of the union, was shot and killed in battle atop Honey Hill. Torn with grief, Penelope tapped into the darkest of her powers to bring him back to life. In turn, Penelope sacrificed the light and gave herself to the dark magic, promising the souls of every woman in her family to the darkness in exchange for Alexander's safety._

 _This curse is said to plague the Ravenwood/Chapman family, set to continue for all eternity, until the chosen one can sacrifice her love for the lightness of her relatives._

 _The curse must be reversed._

 _For the chosen one's heart cannot remain whole, whilst also remaining in the light._

Piper shut the book, falling back on her chair. The air had been sucked from her lungs, and she felt her heart begin to beat wildly in her chest, at the edge of a panic attack.

"No," she whispered, "No!"

She slammed her fist into the table, feeling the electricity of her power tingle through her and crackle around the room.

It was cruel, evil in fact. The only way to break her curse and save herself from the darkness, is to lose Alex.

She swallowed against the bile that rose in her throat. She would not kill Alex, never. The thought alone was enough to cause her to wretch. She would rather let the darkness take her than take herself away from Alex.

She picked up the book, throwing it across the room and against the wall with a dull thud. She put her hands in her hair, pulling as she screamed out into the room. Almost immediately, Julie's voice could be heard at the door, banging frantically.

"Piper? What's happening?"

Piper tried to answer but her voice caught in her throat, a sob breaking through instead. Julie threw the door open, rushing to kneel by Piper,

"What is it, child?"

Piper took a deep breath, trying to steady the cries breaking from her throat,

"Alex," she croaked out, and Julie stiffened,

"Alex? Where is she? Is she hurt?"

Piper shook her head, hands tangling in her own hair and pulling slightly,

"Not yet," she let her head fall back, "the only way to break the curse, is to get rid of Alex,"

"'Get rid'?," Julie quoted, "Murder?"

Piper shook her head,

"The book says 'the chosen one must sacrifice her love',"

Julie let out a long sigh,

"I will not stand by and watch as you murder my niece, my _daughter-"_

"No!" Piper shouted, "it's not even an option, I don't want the light if it's without Alex, I would never even think about hurting her,"

She began to cry again, trying her best to stop the tears from falling from her eyes,

"But you must let her go."

Julie levelled her eyes with Piper's, nothing but sincerity in them, and Piper frowned,

"How can I let her go without hurting her? We've been through so much together, all of the memories and history we have, there's no way we could-"

Piper stopped, realisation hitting her about what she must do to save Alex _and_ break her family's curse,

"I need to make her forget about me?"

Piper's lip quivered again as Julie nodded solemnly,

"It's the only way, Piper."

Piper nodded, trying to keep the emotion that threatened to spill at bay,

"I know," she whispered, voice breaking, "let me tell her."

Julie stared at her,

"Don't hurt her,"

Piper nodded, picking up her bag and jacket from the desk. She felt as though she left her heart at the table as she rose, stumbling out of the library and to her car, she made her way to Alex's house, her soul breaking every step of the way.

* * *

Alex leapt from her den in her room, fairy lights and blankets covered every inch. She had a TV at the end of her bed, and DVDs spilled over the bedside floor. Racing down the stairs, she prepared herself to apologise to Piper for her behaviour as the door opened, a wide smile on her face and flowers in her hands,

"Hey Pipes, I'm so sorr-"

Before she could finish Piper had jumped at her, crushing her against her body and crumpling the flowers in the process. Alex felt a brief moment of relief run through her as she realised Piper wasn't mad at her, but it swiftly changed to worry at the desperate way the blonde was clinging to her,

"Hey," she whispered softly, "what's wrong, Pipes?"

Piper said nothing, just sniffled and snuggled further into Alex's neck, rising on her tip toes to pull her to her tighter,

"Do you wanna go upstairs?" Alex asked gently, feeling Piper nod against her neck,

"Okay, come on. I've got a surprise for you,"

She gripped onto Piper's hand with her free one, leaning back from her and putting the now squashed flowers in front of her face, leaning her head around them with a small smile,

"I got you these," she offered, "to say sorry for being such an ass earlier,"

Piper looked at her, eyes glassy, and smiled softly, taking the flowers and hugging them to her chest,

"They're beautiful, Al," she croaked, and Alex raised her fist, knocking gently at Piper's chin,

"Let's go watch some movies and cuddle, kid"

Piper nodded, the same sad smile on her face, and allowed Alex to lead her up the stairs. As she entered Alex's room, she gasped at the lights that surrounded her,

"Al," she whispered, and Alex grinned proudly as she took the flowers from Piper's hands, laying them on the table before she came to stand by her, hands around her waist,

"Magic, huh?" She smirked, and Piper giggled, turning to grip Alex's face tight in between her hands, crushing their faces together, lips joining strong and hard as she pushed Alex's open shirt off her shoulders.

Alex was stunned for a second by the strength of Piper's embrace, before her mind caught up with her and she kissed her back with just as much intensity, throwing her shirt away and moving her hands to Piper's waist beneath her sweater,

"Do you wanna talk about what was upsetting you before?" Alex gasped, trying to slow her mind and body down just in case,

"No," Piper mumbled against her skin, "I don't wanna talk,"

Alex frowned but felt her mind go blank as Piper's hands pressed up her torso beneath her t shirt, feeling it rise and get tugged over her head.

She walked Piper backwards, collapsing on the bed beneath her, the warmth of Piper's hands for once not burning, but pleasant,

"Take it off," she growled as she pulled at the wool of Piper's sweater. Piper sat up from Alex's neck for a second to tear her sweater off, t shirt going too in the process, before pressing herself straight back to Alex's body. As she kissed her way down Alex's collarbone and over her chest, she let her fingertips wander to the button of her jeans, fumbling as she tried to pop them open and growling against Alex's skin.

Alex rested her hands on top of Piper's, stilling them,

"Hey," she said softly, waiting for Piper to meet her eyes, "I love where this is going, but just slow down, okay?"

Piper looked into Alex's eyes, overwhelmed once again with how much she actually loved the girl in front of her, feeling the pain of the loss she hadn't even suffered yet echo in her heart. She nodded, raising back up to kiss Alex and slowly unbuttoning her jeans, feeling her sigh happily against her lips as she moved her hands to rest on Piper's bare waist.

"Pipes," she whispered, running her hands over her ass, squeezing slightly, "what's happening here, exactly?"

Piper gently ran her fingertips from the top of Alex's underwear to rest on her neck, looking her deep in the eyes. Her heart clenched at the sight in front of her, Alex with her eyes wide and face flushed, half clothed beneath her,

"I want you," she murmured, running the back of her knuckles over Alex's smooth cheek, "I want this, with you."

Alex swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry,

" _oh,"_ she breathed out, hands tightening on her waist, "are you sure?"

Piper flattened her hand on Alex's face, gripping tightly,

"I love you, Alex Vause,"

Alex's breath caught in her throat. Her heart felt like it was about to fly out of her chest, and a dizzy feeling came over her,

"Are you saying that just to get in my pants?" She teased, and Piper giggled softly, tucking some of Alex's hair next to her ear, shaking her head,

"No, I'm saying it because I mean it. I've never felt the way about anyone that I feel about you,"

Alex smiled, a big, genuine smile, and rolled over so Piper was below her,

"I love you too," she whispered, laughing at how nice it sounded, "I love you," she repeated, and Piper smiled at her, eyes shining, "I love you, I love you, I love you,"

Piper brought Alex's face down to hers, kissing her hard,

"Show me," she whispered, and Alex groaned, covering Piper's body with her own as she felt her jeans being tugged down her waist, skin against skin,

"Don't set me on fire," she warned teasingly in Piper's ear, and the blonde giggled,

"I think I've got that under control,"

Alex huffed out a laugh as she moved down Piper's body, removing clothing as she went. She spent what could have been hours gently worshipping all of the parts of Piper she had yet to see, occasionally feeling the flare of heat from Piper's hands as she undressed her in return, but finding that the blonde was unable to hurt her, as though the confession of love had caused a shift in her magic.

The sounds coming from Piper's lips had Alex's head spinning, and as she ran her fingertips down Piper's toned torso to rest on top of the last article of clothing on the blonde's body, she rested her forehead against hers, breathing each other's air,

"Touch me," Piper whispered, covering Alex's hand with hers and guiding it beneath her panties, "I want you to,"

Alex closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Piper's shoulder, biting gently and releasing a soft groan as she allowed her hand to be guided to the warm wetness that waited for her.

She rubbed softly, loving the way Piper's hips rose to keep in sync with her movements. Raising her head, she ran her nose along the length of Piper's, kissing her gently as she positioned her fingers where Piper wanted them. Slowly, she slid one of her fingers into her, biting Piper's bottom lip as she did, feeling her eyes flutter closed at the warmth that surrounded her. She heard Piper exhale loudly, hand flying up to rest on Alex's bicep,

"Are you okay?" Alex whispered against her lips, and Piper gripped her hair with her free hand,

"Another," she said softly, and Alex swallowed, sliding out and then back in with another added finger, feeling the tightness around them. This time, Piper opened her mouth wide, arching slightly off the bed and squeezing at Alex's arm. Alex stilled, watching Piper's face as she adjusted to the new feeling.

After a minute, Piper opened her eyes and found Alex's fiery green gaze. Gently, she scratched her nails along the nape of Alex's neck, nodding slightly,

"I'm okay, move, please,"

Alex leant forward to drop a kiss on Piper's lips as she allowed her hand to begin to move, slow at first, but steadily gaining pace as Piper's hips began to rise to meet her, moans spilling louder and louder from her lips,

"Al," she breathed, biting at her earlobe, "Fuck, I think-"

She cut off with a high pitched moan, and Alex growled at the sensation coupled with the feeling of Piper clenching around her fingers as she got closer and closer to where she needed to be,

"I've got you, Pipes, let it go," she encouraged, and Piper let out a broken gasp, fingernails digging harder into Alex's skin until she arched off the bed, freezing for a moment then falling, hips spasming as Alex slowed, bringing her down from her high.

The brunette watched as Piper's eyebrows knitted together, mouth open, and felt a fire spread through her from Piper's fingertips, feeling as though she was bathed in warm water. Slowly, she withdrew her fingers, wiping them tenderly across Piper's lower abdomen and snuggling into her neck, snaking her arms tightly around her.

Piper brought her arms up to wrap around Alex's shoulders, feeling her breathing begin to even out again,

"Oh my god," she gasped, and Alex raised her head to meet her eyes, grinning like a proud schoolboy, and tucked some of her sweaty blonde hair behind her ear,

"Same thoughts here," she murmured, and Piper smiled shyly, blushing again,

"Come here," she whispered, and Alex laid down again, wrapping herself around Piper as the blonde clenched her closer.

* * *

Some time later, Piper wasn't even sure if it was minutes or hours, the blonde found herself side by side with Alex, who was laid on her stomach, face towards her as she snored softly. Piper felt tears begin to well in her eyes as she tenderly stroked her fingertips across the pale skin of Alex's back, her heart hurting as she realised she needed to do what was right, she needed to let Alex go, for her own safety and for the safety of her family.

Choking back a sob, she snuggled her face against Alex's, watching her wake up with a small smirk,

"Again?" She mumbled sleepily, "jeez you get it once and you become insatiable,"

Piper giggled but it felt hollow, knowing that these were her last few moments with the love of her life,

"If you could have one wish, what would it be?"

Alex opened one eye,

"To go back to sleep?"

Piper smiled but shoved her shoulder gently,

"Al, I'm serious, if you could have one thing what would it be?"

Alex looked at her with one eye, smirking, then closed them both as she sighed,

"Snow," she muttered, and Piper frowned,

"Did you just say snow?" She asked, and Alex chuckled softly, opening her eyes and fixing her with an affectionate gaze,

"Yeah," she muttered, "we don't get snow here in Litch, I've only ever seen it on the TV,"

Piper felt her heart clench again at the innocence of Alex's answer, feeling another impossibly strong wave of love run through her. She leant down, kissing Alex softly on the cheek,

"Get dressed," she whispered, and Alex frowned,

"Pipes, it's 1am,"

"Just do it," Piper smiled, already putting her sweater back on, grinning as Alex shook her head and did as she was told.

* * *

"Where are we going, Piper?" Alex chuckled as they walked hand in hand through the park behind Alex's house. The air was cold, and the scenery was barely illuminated by the street lights around them. Piper turned and grinned as they entered a clearing surrounded by trees, taking both of Alex's hands and nuzzling into her neck as she closed her eyes.

Alex closed her eyes too, enjoying the feeling of Piper's warm embrace, until she felt a drop of cold on the skin of her shoulder, uncovered by her sweater or hair.

She opened her eyes, frowning, and felt her jaw drop as she took in her surroundings.

White. Everything was white.

She looked up to the sky, face gently being covered in snowflakes, and a shocked laugh escaped her lips. It was snowing, heavily, the whole park was blanketed with the stuff, and Alex looked down at Piper, wide eyed and smiling softly at her, snowflakes caught in her hair.

"Pipes," Alex whispered, "Did you do this?"

Piper nodded, leaning forward to press her lips softly against Alex's, feeling a tear slip down her face as she squeezed her eyes closed, already chanting the memory spell through her head as she felt her magic spread from her fingers and through Alex. Choking back a sob, Piper moved her lips from Alex's and put them to her ear,

"I love you, Alex Vause," she choked out, before she let her magic go, and felt as Alex disappeared in her arms. In a second, Piper was no longer in the park. She was back at Ravenwood Manor, in her room. In the morning, Alex would wake up in her bed, no memory of Piper, of their love, of everything they had done together.

Laying on her bed and clutching Alex's jacket to her chest, she allowed herself to cry. For herself, for Alex, for the curse. Sobs ripped through her, harsh and raw, the only light in the darkness being that for a few months, Piper had Alex. She felt what it was like to be in love, and to be loved in return, and despite the pain she was feeling now, that was something she could never regret.

 **AN: I'm sorry. Don't worry, this isn't the end.**

 **Laura xo**


	10. The Ravenwood Girl?

" _Come on Nic, won't you do it for me?"_

 _Stella laid across a blanket under the midnight sky, one leg wrapped across Nicky's torso, a hand trailing down her neck. Nicky sighed dreamily, staring back into Stella's dark swirling eyes and feeling all traces of fight leave her body, as though she was under a spell._

" _Run it by me one more time," she whispered, and Stella grinned wide. To anybody else, it would be a smile of pure evil, but when Nicky was under her spell, it was like the sun._

" _You'll be partnered with Alex during the Civil War Reenactment, I'll make sure you both get roles as soldiers. You convince her to pretend to shoot each other with your 'fake' guns, so you can leave earlier, but your gun won't be fake," Stella grinned again as she moved her lips to Nicky's ear, "yours will have real bullets in, and you'll shoot her, right in the chest."_

 _Nicky nodded, transfixed by Stella's presence,_

" _And why do I need to do this?"_

" _What Alex and Piper have is wrong, toxic. It's dangerous for all of us, and while she still lives, we can't be together. She'll cast a spell, make Alex forget that they even knew each other, but spells can be broken. If Alex is dead, we'll be safe. Don't mention anything about Piper to Alex, we wouldn't want to risk her memory being jogged"_

 _Nicky nodded, hand on Stella's cheek,_

" _I'll do it," she whispered, and Stella embraced her. Whilst Nicky settled into the hug, eyes closed and under Stella's control, the Caster kept her eyes open, an evil smile on her face as the final piece of her puzzle to keep the darkness in her family settled into place._

* * *

Alex groaned as her alarm woke her from her dream. She turned to smack at the button, willing the noise to stop and trying to remember what had happened. She was in a field, and there had been snow all around her, but the harder she tried to remember it, the more slipped away, and she sighed as she sat up, rubbing her face roughly.

Opening her eyes again, she looked around the room. She had a weird feeling in the back of her mind last something was different, something was missing. It was like that feeling when you walk into a room just to forget why you went in there, but it never went away. She stared at her walls, posters of bands, photos of Nic, Julie, her mom. She frowned as she moved her eyes to the desk filled with books. One was open by her bed, but she couldn't remember reading it recently.

Shrugging, she rose from bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for school. The battle reenactment was in a few days, and she needed to make sure she got her part before all the good ones were taken.

As she hopped down the stairs she gave Julie a kiss on the cheek as she passed her, throwing some bread in the toaster,

"You're very cheerful this morning," Julie quipped, then turned away as she sighed, "I didn't expect you to be here, I thought you'd be with Piper," she muttered, and Alex let out a scoff as her toast popped up,

"Piper? Piper who?"

Julie turned around slowly,

"Chapman?" She said, dragging the word out, and Alex frowned at her as though she was insane,

"The Ravenwood girl? Why the hell would I be with Piper Chapman, I barely know her," she said as she took a bite.

Julie hid the sadness from her face, shaking her head and plastering on a smile,

"I must have gotten her mixed up with someone else," she said, and Alex shrugged, hopping down from the counter,

"Nic's outside, I'll see you tonight,"

She kissed her on the cheek again, leaving in a hurry, and Julie let her head rest on one of the cupboard as the door slammed, closing her eyes in a strange mixture of both relief for Alex's safety, and sadness for the loss she didn't even know she had endured.

"Stretch," Nicky greeted as Alex jumped in her car, "we're getting our roles for the battle today, what do you reckon we're gunna end up as?"

Alex shrugged, leaning her head against the window,

"Hopefully not a fucking handmaiden, they're not getting me in one of those dresses for a million fucking dollars,"

Nicky laughed, nodding,

"Got the dance coming up soon, too. You gunna take anyone?"

Alex laughed sarcastically,

"Number one, could you imagine what this town would do if I took a _girl_ to the dance? The Jesus freaks would have me hiked clean outta town,"

Nicky laughed and nodded, turning into the school,

"And two, why the fuck would I wanna go to one of those things in the first place?"

Nicky shrugged,

"I guess it's a chance to wait till the drunk straight girls fancy a little something different," she teased, and Alex scoffed,

"You're a fiend, Nicole."

* * *

 _Stella found herself pacing down the corridors in Litch High, making her way towards the classroom Nicky had informed her was the history room. The hallways were dead, students having not arrived yet, and she easily stayed concealed as she slipped into room 32A. As expected, the teacher was already sitting at the desk, taking out notes for the start of the day. As Stella closed the door behind her, she looked up,_

" _Can I help you with anything?" She asked, pausing what she was writing to watch Stella cross the room,_

" _Yes, actually," she smiled, "I'm Piper Chapman's relative, I've been sent to talk about the War Reenactment that's taking place tomorrow?"_

 _Stella leant down across from the teacher, faces level, and let her magic flow through her eyes as she made contact with the brown ones of the professor,_

" _Piper won't be able to take part due to family commitments," she whispered, eyes swirling as they easily controlled the thoughts of the woman across from her, who nodded blankly, "and you should give Alex Vause and Nicole Nichols parts as soldiers, make up an excuse, not enough boys to make up numbers or something,"_

 _The teacher nodded again, and Stella smirked,_

" _Forget that we had this conversation," she whispered, slinking out of the room and out of the school, smirking as her plan began to fall into place._

* * *

"Hey Vause! Vause!"

Alex turned from where she was leaning against the locker, talking to Sylvie,

"Have you seen the role sheet for the reenactment? We're soldiers man, fucking score,"

Alex laughed but frowned, turning carelessly away from Sylvie to follow Nicky,

"How the fuck did that happen? They never let girls be soldiers,"

Nicky shrugged,

"Not enough guys to make up the numbers or something, who cares man, it means we don't have to wear those fucking dresses,"

Alex laughed and nodded, and Nicky turned slightly to nod her head towards where Sylvie was before,

"You still on with that one?"

Alex chuckled,

"Nah, but I gotta keep her happy, she's easier to deal with if I talk to her every now and then,"

Nicky chuckled, shoving into her playfully, and Alex jumped at her, arms around her shoulders as she turned the corner, not even noticing the person standing by the locker right near her.

* * *

Piper stood, frozen to the spot with a file in her hand. The raspy voice that she could hear coming down the hall was one she would recognise anywhere, and her heart clenched painfully for the countless time in the past 24 hours.

Turning slowly, she held herself up by her hand against the metal of the locker as she laid eyes on Alex Vause for the first time since she had forced her out of her life. She looked so beautiful, her long hair thrashing as she playfully shoved Nicky, that throaty laugh of hers ringing through Piper's body. She longed to go to her, kiss her, make her remember what they have, what they mean to each other, but she stopped herself. It was for the best. Alex was safe this way, and that was what was important.

She swallowed nervously as Alex got close to her, unable to take her eyes away. A small part of her, the part that liked to pretend they were still _them,_ waited for her to look at her with those warm, green eyes, throw her that smirk she loves so much, hearing her greet her with a raspy "Pipes" as she embraced her, feel the protective warmth of the kiss to her forehead, but then she remembered. She was nothing to Alex anymore. She was just another passing face, another insignificant girl in the hallways at school. Alex passed her without a single glance, diving on Nicky and laughing carelessly as she turned the corner away from her. Piper felt her heart break a little more, slamming her locker shut and running to the bathroom to lock herself in a stall. Collapsing onto the closed toilet, she forced herself to even out her breathing, trying in vain to remember that Alex wasn't being like this intentionally. Piper had sent her away, and that was something she just had to deal with.

Sighing, she let her head fall back. She didn't have long to endure. The claiming was tomorrow, the day of the reenactment. Once she was in the light, her family line rightfully healed, there had to be a way to get Alex back.

She would _find_ away to get her back.

 **AN: Hey guys! Not as long as my chapters usually are but it's a really important one in the direction of the story. The next chapter will be a big one that I'll most likely split into two, so my next update will be a double one. The reenactment and the claiming will be happening, and then there'll only be a couple chapters left! Everything is coming to a head now, thanks again for all your reviews. As always, let me know what you think, and if anybody here is wondering about an update to my other story School Days, there should be one in the next day or two!**

 **Laura :)**


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